


Unforseen Circumstances

by orphan_account



Series: Unforseen Family [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Hate Crimes, Homophobic Language, Light Angst, New Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-01
Updated: 2011-11-01
Packaged: 2019-04-22 22:57:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 86,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14318928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Rachel's fathers are taken from her, she is forced into an unexpected situation with the Fabray women that has both Quinn and Rachel realising their mutual feelings for each other. Warning: Story includes a hate crime due to homophobia.*A/N: Hey guys, I am officially back with my new story. I am going to warn you in advance that it is going to start of quite angsty but it should hopefully level off a bit by about chapter 5. Hopefully you will all enjoy it. This chapter is really just an introduction... in the next chapter we delve into what this story is going to really focus on...and we will have some Faberry interaction :)Also in case you were wondering when I was writing Danni, I pictured Kathy Bates in my head...You know in case you want to do the same ;)





	1. Chapter 1

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Title: Unforseen Circumstances  
Genre: Angst/Romance  
Author: Carcan  
Rating: M  
Status: Complete  
Summary: When Rachel's fathers are taken from her, she is forced into an unexpected situation with the Fabray women that has both Quinn and Rachel realising their mutual feelings for each other. Warning: Story includes a hate crime due to homophobia.

A/N: Hey guys, I am officially back with my new story. I am going to warn you in advance that it is going to start of quite angsty but it should hopefully level off a bit by about chapter 5. Hopefully you will all enjoy it. This chapter is really just an introduction... in the next chapter we delve into what this story is going to really focus on...and we will have some Faberry interaction :)

Also in case you were wondering when I was writing Danni, I pictured Kathy Bates in my head...You know in case you want to do the same ;) All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance. And for all you that have been waiting, the first one-shot from 'The Plan' universe is almost finished...I am hoping to get it up on Glee day, so you don't have long to wait :).

Disclaimer: I do not own glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

 

Rachel stood on the pathway that lead to the front door of her home well what used to be her home, she wasn't sure what it was to her now, she just knew that it wasn't her home anymore. One week ago it had still been her home, it had still been her safe haven, the one place she could go where she felt safe and protected against all the bad in her life. It still looked liked that place, it just didn't provide her with those feelings anymore in fact the only feelings she now held for the place that she once considered home is that of fear and loathing.

_1 Week ago_

Rachel arrived home from another awful day at school; she just couldn't understand what she had done to people to make them all hate her so much. She tried so hard to be a good person; it just seemed that nobody was willing to give her a chance to prove herself.

She rested her head against the steering wheel, eyes clenched tightly shut as tears cascaded down her cheeks, Karofsky and Azimio had slushied her twice that day and the glee club had resorted to angry insults and hurtful words when she opted herself for one of the solo's. It's not like she was doing it to be selfish, if she thought someone else's voice was better suited to a song then she would happily let them have the solo, it just so happened that she never felt that was the case.

She leaned back in the driver's seat and wiped her eyes, she looked in the rear-view mirror to make sure she at least looked semi presentable and not like she hadn't just spent the last 5 minutes bawling her eyes out in the car. She removed the keys from the ignition and retrieved her bag from the back seat before exiting her car and walking down the pathway towards her house, she really just needed her dads and the comfort they would willingly provide.

She couldn't help the small smile that broke out on her face as she walked past her fathers' cars, she knew that they had both had the day off but to have the confirmation that they were indeed home made her genuinely happy for the first time that day.

As she approached the front door however her smile quickly became a frown, the door was slightly ajar her fathers' never left the door open and if they had opened it for her, it wouldn't have been only slightly open but rather wide, both men occupying the space with wide smiles and open arms waiting to embrace her.

She slowly opened the door the remaining distance, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. She felt her blood run cold, a shiver running down her spine when she noticed the vase by the door had been knocked over and lay broken on the floor. She dropped her bag by the door and her keys on the shelf as she slowly began to make her way into the house.

"Dad, daddy!" Rachel called, "I'm home." When there was no reply and she could hear no footsteps pounding towards her the sinking feeling became worse. She entered the living room and instantly froze in the door way, her hand coming to her mouth as a gasp escaped her.

All the photos and portraits of the family had been ruined. Some had been torn up while others had had horrible offensive words scrawled on them. Nothing seemed to be missing; in fact the only things that were out of place were the pictures.

She leaned heavily on the wall for support as she shuffled further into the room, her legs felt like lead and the further she moved into the house the worse it became. She paused abruptly when she became aware of a sound, after a moment of not even breathing she realised it was her daddy's record player in the kitchen.

"Daddy!" Rachel called, her voice trembling and cracking as she did. She walked towards the kitchen her heart beating rapidly in her chest; the air around her was thick with a sense of foreboding. As she got closer she realised the record player had been bumped and Dolly Parton's 'I will always love you' was jumping, the word 'always' being repeated over and over again. She swallowed thickly, the tension she felt in the air making it difficult to breathe, tears already streaming down her face.

She slowly walked into the kitchen, there was clearly signs that a struggle had taken place, she noticed the back door was open, the glass pane had been completely smashed and upon closer inspection she saw blood on the door handle.

Her breathing hitched as her chest constricted and all of a sudden she found herself gasping for breath. She slowly turned her attention away from the door and took in the rest of the kitchen, chairs had been knocked over and various forms of cutlery and utensils lay broken on the floor. She froze when she noticed blood seeping out from under the table  she felt as though her body was betraying her in that moment, she couldn't breathe, involuntary tremors were raking through her body and she couldn't seem to gain control of her limbs. She leaned forward and gripped the end of the table using it as a support as she somehow managed to drag herself around to the opposite side of the table, the sight that greeted her was one that she would never forget for as long as she would live. She let out a blood curdling scream and somehow managed to gain fill function of her limbs long enough to run out of her house and to Mrs. Harris' house next door.

The brunette was drawn from her memories by a light squeeze to her shoulder; she turned her head away from her house and towards the short, chubby middle aged woman standing next to her. Her name was Danielle but everybody just called her Danni, she was the social worker who had been assigned to Rachel's case by children's services.

The older woman gave her a reassuring smile, "Remember not to look at anything okay sweetheart, just keep your eyes focussed on the stairs. We will walk straight to your room, get your things and we'll leave, okay?"

Rachel gave the woman a stiff smile and nodded her head. She didn't want to go back in that house ever, but it had been seven days since she had last set foot in there and she really needed her own things. She was tired of bumming clothes off of other kids at the home and she was pretty sure they were tired of lending them to her.

She began walking towards the house before stopping again and turning to Danni who was walking with her, she hesitated not sure if she should voice her next question or not. The social worker saw the hesitance in the young girl's eyes and took her hand, "It's alright sweetheart, you can ask me anything." She prayed the girl would heed her advice, she hadn't said anything in the last 7 days and the older woman was becoming concerned.

Rachel locked eyes with the woman and could see nothing but concern and sincerity reflected back at her, "What's going to happen to the house?" she questioned voice husky from disuse.

Danni smiled in relief at hearing the girl speak for the first time since she met her. She had been told by all of the brunette's neighbours how verbose the girl was and how wonderful her voice sounded when she sang and she had to agree because at that moment the girl's voice sounded absolutely marvellous, "Well seeing as how you were your dads only real relative, everything now belongs to you sweetheart."

The social worker leaned forward and brushed the hair off the girl's face, "However you are only 16 years old and therefore still a minor, so care will be given to your guardian until you are old enough to decide what to do with it."

Rachel looked down at the ground staring at her feet, "Have they found out who my guardian is yet." She mumbled softly. Danni sighed sadly and shook her head even though Rachel couldn't see it, "No sweetheart, they haven't but I'm sure they will your fathers would not have left you alone in this world, they loved you too much to do that."

The young girl nodded her head but refused to look at her, she noticed a drop of water hit the floor and knew that the girl was crying. She tugged Rachel into her arms using the hand that was grasped in hers and wrapped her in a tight embrace, cooing reassurances into her ear.

Rachel buried her head in the older woman's neck allowing herself to enjoy the comfort that was being offered knowing that it could be a long while before she was afforded an opportunity like this again. She didn't want to think that her fathers' would leave her with no one, but then again maybe her fathers' always thought that they would be there for her so therefore she wouldn't need anyone else she knows that she definitely always thought that they would be there.

After a few more minutes, Rachel had calmed down sufficiently enough and pulled away from the older woman giving her a shy smile and a nod in thanks. Danni returned the smile and placed her hand on Rachel's shoulder turning her in the direction of the house, "Come on, let's get this over with so we can leave."

Rachel nodded allowing herself to be guided down the path.

Quinn Fabray was sitting in spanish class, her mind drifting to the same thing or rather someone it always did lately.

Rachel had missed an entire week of school and even though the two girls weren't friends, they weren't enemies anymore either. Rachel had stood by Quinn throughout her pregnancy and had supported her when the nice couple from Connecticut came to fetch Beth. She was even there for her when she had initially moved back in with her mom providing the girl with a shoulder to cry on when she needed it.

It was her fault they weren't closer, when school started she rejoined the cheerio's and opted to keep the brunette at a distance so she could regain her popularity, they obtained the odd text message but other than that nothing.

Her self- imposed distance didn't stop her worrying about the brunette, she had been texting her all week and had gotten no reply and she always got a reply to her texts.

She knew that the glee club had been mean to her when they last saw Rachel but the blonde hadn't been involved in that then again she hadn't stopped it either, she had just sat there and let them tear into the diva. She shook her head and let out a sigh of frustration, that wouldn't be the reason she was absent and ignoring her texts, Rachel would have walked into school with her head held high just to prove them all wrong No, something else must have been wrong and she was going to find out what it was.

As soon as the bell rang the blonde gathered her things and made her way to Mr. Schue's desk, "Mr. Schue?" the blonde called drawing his attention away from his papers in his hand to her.

"Yes Quinn? How can I help you?" he asked, giving the girl a warm smile.

Quinn shuffled from foot to foot, she hated feeling vulnerable and showing a teacher that she was concerned for another student would definitely make her more vulnerable if other students found out, but in that moment she could have cared less what people thought, "I was wondering if you knew something about Rachel? I mean she hasn't been at school for like a week, that's seriously not like her."

Mr. Schue furrowed his brow, obviously he had noticed Rachel's absence particularly in glee, but everyone seemed so much happier that he never questioned it, a decision he was quickly regretting when he realised the young diva's well being had not even crossed his mind. He swallowed his guilt and looked at the blonde in front of him, he knew it was his job to reassure her first and then deal with his own feelings later, "No I haven't heard anything Quinn, but I'm sure she is fine. Remember no news is good news, if something was wrong we would have heard about it."

The blonde nodded her head, giving the teacher a tight smile before turning and walking out of his classroom, not feeling reassured in the slightest.

Danni was seated at her desk going over some paper work when her phone rang, she stretched over, eyes never leaving the paper work in her hand as she picked up the receiver, "Hi, this is Danielle. How can I help you?"

" Hey Danni, Its Jim." The voice on the other side replied excitedly.

Danni instantly dropped the papers in her hand and sat bolt upright in her chair, "Tell me you have good news for me Jim?"

" I have good news." He replied. Jim Smith was Hiram and Leroy Berry's lawyer, had been for 15 years.

"Well " Danni prompted waiting for him to continue. " As you know both Leroy and Hiram were disowned by their families, so that ruled them out as possible guardians." Jim stated factually.

"Yes " Danni replied using her arm to motion for him to continue even though he couldn't see it.

" And Hiram and Leroy hadn't updated their will so a family friend who has since passed was listed as guardian." he continued.

"Yes, Yes I know all this; get to your point already." Danni replied becoming frustrated with his antics.

" Okay, okay sheesh, tough crowd." He stated playfully, even her impatience couldn't dampen his mood. He swore he would find someone to take Rachel and he had. When he heard Danielle growl into the phone he realised he should probably get to the point, "I obtained every legal document I could that belonged to the Berry men and went through them with a fine tooth comb. I found one from about a week after Rachel's birth, which basically stated that care of Rachel should be transferred to one Judy Fabray if anything was to happen too them, provided she consented to taking her."

Danni slammed her hand on her desk excitedly as she stood up, "Good job Jim. Now what are you waiting for Call Judy Fabray and get her to your office for a meeting A.S.A.P." She grabbed her jacket and purse making her way around her desk, "I'll be there in 30 minutes." She stated with finality, placing the receiver down before he could protest and walking out of her office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N1: Alright guys, I am back with the next chapter. There is some hints in this chapter that will provide you with an idea of where I intend to take this story. I realised after I published the first chapter that I didn't actually provide you with some background to this story, it is slightly AU in the sense that Shelby doesn't exist and neither girl is dating any of the boys. Other than that it is the same as the show.
> 
> I am literally overwhelmed by the response to this story...you guys are literally amazing an the love you have shown me since I started publishing stories is unbelievable. So thank you all so much, I really appreciate it...and please continue to review, favourite and alert this story. All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.

_Disclaimer: I don't own glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily._  
  
_A/N2: I really just need to get this off my chest, I watched the knew episode of Glee and I loved the Quinn/Rachel interaction...it was amzing as usual...but I just couldn't enjoy it fully because of Finn. I seriously hate where the writers have taken his character...and I'm not just saying this because I ship faberry, I used to ship Finchel in fact...but I cant anymore, both girls deserve better. If I was a mother of a teenage girl who was treated as badly as Rachel has been by Finn, there would be major problems, I definitely would not condone her seeing him. I'm not sure what it's like elsewhere but in South Africa he is exactly the kind of boy you do not want to take home to meet the parents. He laughed when Santana insulted her, couldn't think of anything good about her but her voice, lied to her about having sex with Santana for months, broke up with her to find himself with two cheerleaders, he's a hypocrite of note...and he has been playing with both Quinn and Rachel's emotions the whole season. I love Glee, but the writers need to wake up and realise their golden boy is actually the worse one on the show. I apologise if there are some people who like Finn here, I don't mean any disrespect to you...we are all entitled to our own opinions. Now that I got that off my chest...please enjoy the new chapter :)_

* * *

 

 

Quinn walked through the door to her home after school to find her mother on the phone; she was pale and had a stricken look on her face that instantly caused the cheer leader to become concerned.

The blonde slowly made her way over to her mother, dropping her bag in the hallway as she went; she leant on the side table next to the older blonde, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she waited for her to finish on the phone so she could find out what was happening.

Judy looked at her daughter a mixture of fear and sadness gracing her features, "My daughter has just walked through the door, so we will leave as soon as I put the receiver down and we should get there in about 20 minutes." The blonde nodded in response to whatever the person on the line was telling her, "Okay, thank you for letting us know. We'll see you soon, goodbye."

Judy put the receiver down her hands shaking slightly in what she could only assume was a combination of fear and a mild case of shock. She turned to look at her daughter and could see the concern in the younger girl's eyes.

"Mom what's going on?" Quinn asked, voice rising slightly as she began to panic. She had never seen her mother like this before, not when she told her parents she was pregnant and not when she went into labour with Beth.

Judy gripped her daughter's hand in her own and attempted to give her a reassuring smile, although she was pretty damn sure it appeared more like a grimace. She exhaled shakily, "That phone call was about your friend, Rachel."

Quinn felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't catch her breath, "What what about Rachel? I mean she's okay right." She could feel the tears beginning to fall, "Please tell me she's okay?"

Judy pulled her daughter into a warm embrace, "Physically she's fine sweetheart " she pulled back slightly, "But somethin has happened to her fathers. Now I don't know all the details but we are due to meet with the Berry's lawyer this afternoon so he can explain the situation to us more fully."

Quinn nodded her head in response inhaling deeply in an attempt to regain some composure, she gave her mother one final squeeze before letting go completely, "Do you know if the Berry men are okay?" she asked softly.

Judy smiled sadly before shaking her head, tears glistening in her eyes, "They didn't make it sweetheart." She made her way to the door, picking her car keys off the side table as she went.

Quinn turned and followed her mother, she was completely numb. She couldn't believe all this had happened and nobody had heard a thing about it. "Mom," Quinn called getting Judy's attention just before she walked out the front door, "Why did they call you?" she asked in confusion, I mean it was no secret that the Fabray's and Berry's didn't exactly get along or at least that was what everyone thought. She was beginning to worry that this was some plan by the Berry's lawyer to set them up.

The older woman gave her daughter a small smile, "It appears as though I was listed as Rachel's guardian." At the shocked look on her daughters face she continued, "There is a lot I need to explain to you honey and I promise I will in due time, but right now Rachel should be both of our main concerns. She needs us now more than ever. So let's go so we can get to this meeting and get her out of that home as fast as possible."

Quinn stared at her mother for a moment before squaring her shoulders and nodding her head with new resolve. Her mother returned the nod and both Fabray woman walked out of their house with only one goal in mind: Bring Rachel home.

Rachel was sitting alone in the dining hall at the home completely ignoring the existence of everyone else. She was pushing her food around her plate with her fork; she really hadn't had much of an appetite since that day. Every time she thought about food, she thought about her kitchen which made her think about how she had found her fathers and that just made her nauseous so yeah food and eating weren't on top of her list of things to do.

She was so lost in her own thoughts and memories that she didn't see the group of girls approaching her until her food was knocked off her table, "Hey there " the main girl sneered, "you think you're too good to eat with the rest of us?"

Rachel clenched her jaw and fists but kept her head bowed. She had learnt that if you just ignored them they would eventually get bored and leave her alone, but that didn't mean the insults and jabs didn't hurt.

The main girl, who Rachel had heard being referred to as Becky, gripped her jaw hard and tilted her head so she was staring directly into icy blue eyes, "I asked you a question freak?"

Rachel glared at the girl but did not respond.

"Oh that's right, I forgot you're mute," she chuckled darkly, releasing her grip on Rachel's jaw and patting her cheek roughly. The girl stood up and turned her back on Rachel to address everyone in the hall, "I am sure we are all aware by now that Pinocchio here doesn't speak." She stated gesturing with her hand to Rachel at the table, "but what I'm sure you all don't know is that she also happens to be a bed wetter."

Rachel flushed in embarrassment and anger as the whole dining hall broke out into laughter. Becky was leaving out some valuable bits of information like the night terrors that she had been having which were the reason behind her inability to control her bladder.

"That's right everybody, high and mighty over here is nothing but a whiny, good for nothing, bed wetting daughter of a couple of homosexuals."

Rachel's head instantly snapped up at the mention of her fathers, her resolve finally cracking. The girl could say what she wanted about her, but she would not sit by and let her disrespect her fathers' memories. An animalistic growl ripped through her as she lunged at the other girl, she managed to take her by surprise tackling her to the ground and pinning her there by straddling her waist. She bought her fist up and punched the girl directly in the nose before she felt herself being forcefully lifted off her and thrown into the wall, her head making contact with it before she slid down to the floor.

She was still seeing stars when she felt a kick to the abdomen, she groaned loudly trying to crawl away from the assault but failed because she was pinned against the wall.

"Hold her up." Becky commanded of two girls from her group, who obeyed picking Rachel up by her arms. The girl grabbed Rachel's face gripping her jaw tightly, "You stupid bitch, you're really going to regret that."

Rachel could do nothing, so she just stood and let the girl hit her until somebody came in and broke it up. She didn't cry though, she didn't scream or shout or hiss in pain. In fact she made no sound at all, just like in school she refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing that their actions were hurting her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see a member of the staff staring sympathetically at her. It was only then that she realised that she was the only one left in the dining hall and that she was now seated on the floor having been unable to support herself when the two girls had let her go.

The lady put her arm gently around her helping her to stand before gently walking with her to the first aid office. Judy and Quinn had been led into a conference room directly after they arrived and were now seated waiting for the lawyer to arrive. Neither had spoken a word since they had entered the room, both too lost in their own thoughts about Rachel and the situation they had found themselves in.

The door opening pulled both woman from their thoughts and they turned their focus to the two men who had just entered the room. The smaller more slender man stepped forward to shake their hands, "Mrs. Fabray, Miss Fabray, my name is Jim Smith I spoke to you on the phone earlier. I am the Berry family lawyer and this " he gestured to the tall, muscular man standing next to him, "is Detective Harding, he has been working the Berry men case." The detective shook both of the ladies hands before both men took their seats opposite the women.

Detective Harding opened his brief case and removed a case file, laying it on the table in front of the Fabray's, "I believe Mr. Smith has told you that he would explain the situation to you in more detail." At both women's nods he continued, "In order to do that you will need to be given details about the crime which have not yet been released. Therefore I ask for your discretion, nobody knows about this and nobody will know about this until the people who did this are caught or we can assure Rachel's safety." He levelled both women with a stare hoping to convey the seriousness of the situation.

Both blondes looked at each other before looking back at the detective and nodding their consent.

Just as the detective was about to continue Danielle came bursting through the door, her cell phone to her ear, "I'll be there as soon as I can." She nodded her head in response to something that was said, her eyes drifting to the two blondes, "I am actually at a meeting as we speak that will hopefully get Rachel out of there uh huh, I'll talk to you soon, Bye."

She made her way to the table and shook both ladies hands before taking her seat, "My name is Danielle, I'm Rachel's social worker. I apologise for being late but a situation arose that I needed to deal with."

"What kind of situation?" Quinn asked eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and concern.

"Rachel got into a fight with one of the older girls at the home," Danni replied.

"Is is she okay?" Quinn asked, worry seeping into her tone, Rachel wasn't the kind of person to get into a fight, she preferred to avoid confrontation.

The social worker eyed Quinn for a moment; she could see that the young girl was worried about the diva and concerned for her well being. She gave her a small sympathetic smile, "The nurse at the home said that she had gotten a few superficial injuries but nothing to warrant immediate concern I'm going to see her right after this meeting if you would like to come with me?"

Quinn instantly began nodding her head, looking at her mother with pleading eyes. Judy smiled reassuringly at her daughter, giving her hand a light squeeze before turning to Danni and nodding her head, "We would both love to come, if you don't mind."

Danni smiled at the two girls before turning her attention to the two men indicating that they should continue.

"Last week Friday, Rachel arrived home to find that her house had been broken into and on closer inspection she found her dads in the kitchen." He opened the folder to reveal some photos, "I warn you, these photos are quite graphic If you have a week stomach I wouldn't look if I were you."

Judy pulled the photos towards her hoping to prevent Quinn from seeing them, but when she heard her daughter gasp and burst into heart wrenching sobs she knew she had been unsuccessful. The older woman was horrified by what she was looking at, the two men had been stripped naked and tied together in a provocative sexual position. She carelessly tossed the photos back at the two men, not wanting to look at them any longer. She wrapped her arms around her sobbing daughter pulling her into an embrace, running her hand through blonde hair.

"Who who would do something like that?" she spat, disgust evident on her face.

"We don't know yet. What we do know is that the way the Berry men were positioned coupled with the destruction of all the family photos and portraits with various degrading words indicate that this was definitely a hate crime." Detective Harding explained factually.

"I still don't understand how keeping this crime quiet is protecting Rachel." Quinn sniffled finally pulling back from her mother.

Jim smiled sadly at her, "Some of the statements that were left behind by the assailants referred to Miss Berry as an abomination... It is our belief that they were of the impression that Rachel would have already been home by the time they got there and according to the coroner's report if she had arrived mere minutes earlier she would have been."

Both Judy and Quinn gasped at the implication that they were only minutes away from existing in a world where Rachel no longer did. Jim continued, "Tomorrow a statement is being released explaining that the Berry men have passed, we hope that by omitting the details pertaining to the murder that the people who did this will unintentionally make themselves known. It is clear this crime was committed to make a statement about homosexuality, take away the statement and they will get angry or at least that's the hope."

"It will also allow Rachel to lay her fathers to rest," Danni added, "she needs that to help her get some closure."

"We'll help her with that," Judy stated, "When can we take her home with us?"

Danni shared a smile with two men before turning her attention to the Fabray women. She was so grateful that Judy was willing to do this, no questions asked, "Well there is some paper work that needs to be filled out, but I would say it could be as soon as Sunday if all goes according to plan."

"Once she is in your care, she is not to be left alone. There will be a permanent police presence outside your house, but at school we can't be there. So Quinn you're going to have to take care of her." Detective Harding said, smiling at the young girl warmly.

"I won't let her out of my sight, I promise," Quinn stated, a look of determination on her face.

"You need to be aware that she is a very upset young girl, she is going to need a lot of support. She has lost the only family she has ever known, she has seen things no child should ever have to see and those images haunt her." Danni looked directly at Quinn, "she's not the same girl you knew, at least not yet. She barely talks let alone sings."

Quinn felt tears welling up in her eyes, the thought of the little diva not singing anymore broke her heart, "How how can we help her to to find herself again?"

"She needs to feel loved and safe, especially after all that has happened. Just be there for her, no judgements and no pressure," Danni explained softly.

Quinn nodded her head getting angsty to see Rachel, "Can we go see her now?"

Danni chuckled lightly before nodding her head and standing up, "Let's go, you can keep Rachel company, while your mom and I sort out the paper work."

Both the blondes stood shaking the men's hands, "We will keep you up to date about any progress we make with the case," Jim stated as he shook Judy's hand.

Judy nodded her reply before walking out the door behind Danni and Quinn.

Rachel wondered into the day care just as she had every day for the last 7 days. She walked over to the woman in charge, "Hey Lauren, Is Luke here today?"

Lauren looked up from her book with a big smile that instantly became a frown as she took in Rachel's face, "Oh honey, what happened?"

Rachel smiled sadly, she knew she looked terrible and it had only been an hour since the 'incident', her lip was split, she had a cut on her cheek and forehead as well as a black eye and that was just her face, "I'm okay Is Luke here?"

Lauren eyed the girl carefully for a moment before finally relenting, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get anything out of the girl, "He's in his usual spot," she said quietly. She knew the two kids had formed some kind of bond; it was like they were kindred spirits and Rachel always seemed happiest when she was with him.

Rachel nodded her thanks and made her way to the nursery. She stood in the doorway, eyes instantly focussing on the corner, a small smile gracing her features when she saw the blonde haired, brown eyed baby playing with some blocks all by himself.

She slowly walked over to the little boy and sat down next to him. He picked up his head, a big grin breaking out onto his face when he noticed it was her. He squealed in delight throwing himself at her and burying his head in her shoulder.

Lucas was a year old, his mother was a 16 year old drug addict, who drank and took drugs while she was pregnant with him. He was abandoned at a hospital mere hours after he was born and had been living at the home basically ever since. He suffered from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and therefore was never first choice for adoption, although Rachel couldn't understand why he was a perfectly healthy baby now, he just reached his developmental mile stones a little slower than others, he still had yet to walk or talk.

He also tended to avoid interacting with other adults and children he preferred to observe them. It was almost like he was aware he was different from kids his age. Rachel wrapped her arms around the little boy holding him close to her, placing a kiss to his head, "Hey buddy, How are you doing today? She cooed quietly. He tapped her cheek in response to the question causing the diva to hiss in pain as his little hand connected with the cut on her cheek.

He pulled back wobbling slightly on his legs but feeling secure in Rachel's arms, he scrunched his face when he looked at her bringing both his hands up to gently cup her cheeks. He leant forward and placed a kiss to her forehead, eye and eventually lips.

Rachel looked steadily into his swirling brown eyes and could see worry and concern reflected in them. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying and pulled him back into an embrace, "Thank You," she whispered, feeling him nod against her neck in response.

She chuckled lightly before holding him steadily by his hands away from her body so that he was standing unsteadily on his feet, "It's time for today's practice little buddy."

She stood up in front of him, his hands still grasped tightly in hers; she looked down to see him staring up at her, a look of such awe and trust in his eyes that she felt her heart clench tightly in response, "Come on, let's try okay?"

Slowly she began to walk backwards as he began to walk unsteadily with her, smiling and squealing the whole way. When they reached the other wall she bent down chuckling lightly as he wobbled the remainder of the way into her embrace. "Good job buddy," she stated as she picked him up and began to carry him back to the corner. She paused in her tracks however when she saw who was standing by the nursery door.

Quinn had been standing at the door to the nursery for about 10 minutes watching the diva interact with the small blonde child before she was noticed. The blonde smiled sadly at the diva giving her a small wave, now that she was actually face to face with the diva she had absolutely no idea what to do so she decided to follow her instincts. She strode into the room wrapping Rachel and by proxy the little boy she held into her arms, she felt the diva tense before finally relaxing into the embrace and clinging to the blonde with her free hand, "I'm so sorry Rach," Quinn whispered into her ear, "I'm so, so sorry."

The diva nodded her head burying it further into the blonde's neck, the tears she had been so valiantly fighting all day finally falling. She didn't know how the blonde had come to find out about her predicament but in that moment she didn't care, she was a familiar face in a week filled with unfamiliar, unwanted changes and she was glad for it.

The two girls only pulled apart when Luke started to whimper and wriggle between them. Rachel kissed the little boy on the head, rocking him gently until he calmed down. She gave the blonde an apologetic look before walking over to the corner and sitting the little boy by his blocks, taking a seat next to him.

Quinn walked over to the brunette taking a seat next to her, giving her a tentative smile. The brunette stared at her for a minute before turning her attention to the room, suddenly realizing exactly where they were, "Oh my god, Quinn!" Rachel gasped, "I am so sorry, this must be so difficult for you. I can't believe how insensitive I am being right now, we should just leave and we can continue talking in my room, I am sure it would be more comfortable for you," she rambled.

Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion, she had no idea what the little diva was on about. She followed the brunette's gaze around the room to see if she could figure out why she was all of a sudden apologizing to her. She took in the sight of all the babies playing in the room and as if struck by lightning, the reason suddenly hit her: Rachel was worried that the presence of all the children would make her think about Beth. A small smile broke out onto her face, this girl who had just experienced a terrible, heart breaking, traumatic event that no one should ever have to experience was worried about her she honestly was hands down the most caring, forgiving, self sacrificing person she had ever met.

"Rachel," Quinn admonished, placing her hand on the brunette's arm, drawing the girl's focus from the little boy next to her, "I am honestly fine. I know Beth is in a good home and that she is loved and cared for. This " she gestured around the room at all the playing babies, "doesn't make me feel the least bit uncomfortable. Okay?"

The diva bit her lip, contemplating what Quinn had just said and trying to decide if she should believe the girl or not. After a moment she sighed resignedly and nodded her head, "Okay."

The girls sat in silence after that just watching the little boy playing with his blocks, words didn't really need to be said, all Rachel needed to know was that Quinn was there and the feeling of the blonde's hand still covering her own indicated that she definitely was.

Now that she actually had someone to sit in silence with it didn't seem as bad as it had this past week and she didn't really want to break it but she was getting angsty she was so glad that Quinn was there she just didn't know how she had found out about it nobody knew about it, it was all supposed to be very hush hush and kept on the down low. "Don't take this the wrong way Quinn, because I am really very happy that you are here but why are you here? I mean how did you find out?" she stated softly.

Quinn gently cupped the diva's cheek running her finger gently over the cut that was situated there, "Your dads' lawyer got into contact with my mother today and explained the whole situation to us."

"Your mother?" Rachel questioned confusion visible on her face, "Why would he be in contact with your mother?"

Quinn dropped her hand from the brunette's face, only to grasp her hand again, she didn't know if it was actually of any comfort to the girl, but she did know that she definitely needed the contact especially after learning how close she came to losing the brunette. She could see how confused the brunette was and she really wasn't sure it was her place to say anything, but she hated seeing the girl like that and figured the information may be a little bit easier to digest if it came from her anyway, "Your dads left you in my mother's care if anything was to happen to them Rach she's your guardian."

Rachel sat in stunned silence for a minute, her mind working in over drive trying to process all the information she had just received. It just didn't add up, why would her fathers leave her in the care of Judy Fabray. The Fabray's up until recently had wanted nothing to do with the Berry's and now she a Berry, was going to be living with the Fabray's. She stretched out wrapping her arms around Luke; pulling him into an embrace she needed the comfort that only he afforded her.

Quinn frowned as she watched the petite diva snuggle into the little boy, "Rach," She stated quietly, cupping her chin gently and turning her head slightly to face her, "Are you okay? Talk to me?"

Rachel wasn't sure what she felt at that moment, she was angry, confused, sad, frustrated and she had no idea how to deal with it. She shrugged her shoulder's in response to the question, words could not even begin to express what she was feeling so she just let the tears that had been welling in her eyes since the beginning of this conversation fall and hoped that that was answer enough.

The blonde's heart broke at the sight; she gently pried the young boy from the brunette's arms, smiling warmly at him as she placed him back by his blocks. She turned back to the diva and pulled her into an embrace, rocking her gently. She looked over the diva's head to the door and noticed her mother and Danni standing there signalling her to bring Rachel and meet them outside.

Quinn nodded her head in reply before directing the almost catatonic brunette into a standing position and walking slowly with her out of the room.

Judy and Danni were talking in hushed voices when they noticed the two girls walking towards them, Rachel tucked securely into Quinn's side.

Judy closed the remaining distance between them and the girls, reaching out to touch the petite diva only to have her flinch away. Rachel may have finally accepted Quinn's comfort, but that was only because the last few months they had been relatively friendly towards each other, Judy Fabray was a whole other kettle of fish, "Why?" the brunette whimpered softly, "Why would my dads leave me with you? You hated them."

Judy felt herself tearing up at the girl's statement, she could understand it though and didn't begrudge her one bit for being reluctant. For years her husband, soon to be ex, had done nothing but make her fathers' lives hell and she had stood by and let him. She decided if she wanted the young diva to trust her she would need to know the truth, Quinn deserved to know it as well, she took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing, "I never hated your fathers

Rachel. In fact Hiram and I were best friends all through high school," she smiled fondly at the memory, "I was the first person that your dad introduced Leroy to. We didn't spend as much time together as we both would have liked after I met my husband, I was still under daddy's thumb and he absolutely loved Russell so I did everything I could to make him happy and that included staying away from your dads. I regret everyday that I allowed that man to ruin one of the greatest relationships I have ever had and no one will ever fully be able to comprehend how truly remorseful I am that I will never be able to express to your fathers how sorry I am for my role in how they were treated. I can't take back what happened, but I can try to make it up to them by taking care of the most important person in their lives and that's you Rachel. So let me help you Rachel, let me take care of you, okay?"

Rachel stared at Judy as the older woman tentatively reached out to touch her again, instead of flinching this time she allowed the older woman to rest her hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She still didn't feel completely comfortable around the older blonde, she had just described a time in her fathers' lives that she was not privy too and therefore wasn't sure if she actually really believed it or not. However she did believe that Judy was truly remorseful plus there weren't exactly a line of people at the door begging to take her in, it was Judy or the home and Judy was definitely the lesser of those two evils, "Okay," she murmured quietly.

Danni finally stepped forward making her presence known, smiling warmly at the three woman, "Well all the paper work has been filled out, I will take them straight to the office to be processed and hopefully you'll be able to go home with the Fabray's as soon as Sunday Rach."

The social worker could see the uncertainty in the diva's eyes, yet the girl still gave her a smile and a slight nod of the head as if to reassure her that she was willing to give this situation a try.

"That's my girl," Danni stated smiling softly at the girl. She decided that it would be a good time for them to leave to give the diva time to process everything that she had learnt, she turned her attention to Judy, "I think now would be as good a time as any to get going, I need to get this paper work to the office and I'm sure both girls could use some rest, it has been a trying day for all of us."

Judy nodded her head in agreement, both women turning to the brunette and bidding her good bye before making a hasty retreat, leaving the girls alone for a minute.

Quinn really didn't want to go, she wanted to stay and hold the diva in her arms...to you know, comfort her or at least that's what she was telling herself. She wrapped the brunette in a hug and held her tightly, "I'll see you on Sunday Rach." When she felt the girl nod in response, "I can honestly tell you that I have no idea what you are going through but I promise I'll be here for you no matter what. I haven't been a very good friend to you and I'm sorry about that, I am so sorry so, so sorry it took something like this for me to realise how much you mean to me and how badly I've been treating you. It's in the past now and there is nothing I can do to change it, but I promise I won't make that mistake again." She pulled away slightly from the girl, locking eyes with her, "I'm here for you Rachel Berry and I'm going to help you through this I promise."

She leant forward and placed a lingering kiss to Rachel's head, before disentangling herself from the girl completely and walking in the direction her mother and Danni went Sunday couldn't come fast enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys...here is the next chapter. This chapter focuses on Rachel's first day with the Fabray's and deals with a topic that was briefly mentioned in the previous chapter, I don't feel it's anything to bad but it may make some people uncomfortable and for that I apologise...but it is a very real problem that children who have gone through traumatic experiences have and I felt it was important to include in this fic...Plus it does help to further the Faberry relationship, which can mostly be seen at the start of the next chapter.  
> I am not 100% happy with how this chapter turned out...so tell me what you guys think, I would appreciate the feedback :)

_Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed, alerted and favourited this story...I honestly appreciate it, it means a lot to know you are all enjoying it :). I am glad you guys like Lucas, he will definitely be sticking around...one thing you will notice about my stories is that I love to have children in them...there is something just so pure and innocent about them, and I love how they view the world...it's just beautiful :) I am honestly swamped with uni for the next week or so, so I wont be able to update until after next week Wednesday. I'm really sorry, I'll try to have and update by the end of the week though...and then my schedule clears a bit so I should be able to go back to more frequent updates. Again I apologise. All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily._

* * *

_**Chapter 3** _

 

Rachel walked into the Fabray household on Sunday afternoon, just as Danni had expected the paper work had gone through without any problems and so here she was.

She stood in the hallway looking around the house? She wasn't sure that word was actually suitable; the place was absolutely huge yet somehow still managed to have a warm feel to it. Yes the walls were all white, but there were rugs strategically laid on the hardwood floors and the couches in the sitting room looked so warm and comfy.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, she turned her head and was greeted by the warm smile of Judy, "Why doesn't Quinn give you the tour and I'll take your things up to your room."

Rachel gave the older Fabray a small smile, "I'd rather just go up to my room," she stated hesitantly, still not comfortable referring to it as that yet, "I'm kind of tired and would just like to go lie down for a while."

Judy returned the smile and gave a short nod in response before turning her attention to her daughter, who had been standing nearby watching the whole exchange, "Quinn sweetie, would you mind showing Rachel to her room while I start dinner."

Quinn nodded her response and began to guide Rachel up the stairs. Judy frowned at the sight of the small brunette; she was carrying a back pack, two duffel bags and a lap top bag, her teddy bear cradled in her arms. She had outright refused both Quinn and Judy's offers for help, insisting that she could do it on her own. The double meaning had not been lost on the older Fabray, but she knew there was not much she could do at the moment to convince the young girl otherwise. She would just have to be there for her, to let her know that she didn't have to go it alone and hopefully once Rachel realised she could trust her, she would let her help. With that final thought and new resolve, Judy made her way to the kitchen to start dinner.

Rachel walked into the room, Quinn right behind her. There were white walls like the rest of the house, a double bed with floral bedding, a built in cupboard and a desk with a lamp in the corner. The brunette walked over to the bed, dropping her bags as she went, and took a seat, looking around at her new room.

Quinn took a few steps further into the room studying the diva carefully, "We left it plain. We figured you could decorate it however you wanted. Maybe put up some photos or something." Quinn stated softly.

"What photos, there's none left." The diva murmured under her breath, looking at the teddy bear still clasped in her hands.

Quinn frowned in concern; the brunette had clearly said something that she didn't want her to hear. She wanted Rachel to open up to her, so that she could help her all she wanted to do was help her, "You can talk to me Rach about anything. You know that right?" she stated sincerely.

Rachel was weighing up the pro's and con's of opening up to Quinn, she wanted to tell her she really did, but Quinn had enough of her own things to worry about, she didn't need to know all of Rachel's problems on top of that. She lowered her head and released a self deprecating chuckle, No it was better for all involved if she kept her problems to herself, "It was nothing important Quinn." She stood up from the bed and faced the blonde, "I'm really tired, do you think it would be alright if I took my nap now before dinner?"

"Sure." Quinn replied but made no attempt to move, her arms swinging at her sides.

Rachel stared at the blonde with a raised eyebrow, trying to convey her unasked question. There was a small but genuine smile on her face as she took in how adorable Quinn was being in that moment, "Quinn." Rachel stated with a hint of amusement in her voice, "Would you mind leaving me alone while I take my nap?"

Quinn's eyes widened in realisation, "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Oh, okay. I'm just going to " she gestured to the door behind her as she began to back towards it, "I'll, uh I'll come fetch you later you know for dinner."

Rachel nodded her response, a beaming smile now on her face, a warm feeling having taken up residence in her chest If she thought the blonde was adorable before, well then there were no words to describe her now.

Quinn gave one final nod before turning around and walking out the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She leant up against the door and exhaled slowly. She didn't know why Rachel Berry made her so nervous, but she did know that it felt so good to be the one to make her smile like that again and if she managed to get a smile like that every time she acted like a blubbering idiot then she would happily do it for the rest of her life.

Rachel was sitting at the kitchen table with both Fabray women. They had decided to eat in the kitchen instead of the dining room because they felt it would be more comfortable for the little diva.

Rachel was moving her food around the plate with her fork, she didn't want to be rude, the food looked amazing Judy had gone out of her way to provide the brunette with a wide array of vegetables that she would normally jump at the opportunity to devour, but in that moment all she felt was nauseous.

Judy furrowed her brow in concern a frown gracing her lips, "Rachel, honey. Do you not like it? I can make you something else if you like?"

A wave of guilt instantly washed over the diva, this was exactly what she didn't want to happen. The woman had tried so hard to accommodate for her and here she was being difficult and making the older blonde feel bad, "No, that won't be necessary Judy, this looks amazing. I'm just not feeling very hungry at the moment."

Quinn gave the diva a quick once over while the girl was distracted by her mother and she definitely did not like what she was seeing, she was pale and so thin. The blonde could not believe the amount of weight she had lost in only 10 days.

She had always been petite, but petite couldn't even begin to describe her at the moment she was skeletal and that scared the blonde more than she thought possible. She stretched over and gripped the diva's hand in hers, "I think you should try to eat something, you don't have to eat all of it but at least try a little bit  Please? For me?"

Rachel looked hesitantly at the blonde giving a slight nod. She looked at her plate before piercing a piece of broccoli with her fork and bringing it to her lips, hesitating slightly, before putting it into her mouth. She kept her eyes on her plate as she chewed because she could feel the other two women staring at her and she really didn't want to look either one in the eye at that moment. She swallowed thickly as the food passed through her throat, taking a few deep breaths to try to tame the feeling of nausea which had increased tenfold all of a sudden.

"Rach, are you okay?" Quinn asked in concern, having noticed the diva had become impossibly paler. The brunette nodded her head in reply, bright but clearly fake smile on her face.

"You don't have to eat it sweetie. I'd be more than happy to make you something else." Judy stated sincerely.

"No, this is really good." Rachel replied, placing another piece of broccoli into her mouth for emphasis.

Both blonde's stared at her for a minute before locking eyes with each other in concern. Rachel sat for another 30 minutes forcing her food down before finally being granted a reprieve when Quinn's phone rang. The blonde looked to see who was calling, an unidentifiable look on her face as she excused herself from the table and walked into the other room to take the call.

Rachel pushed her plate away from her and folded her arms across her chest indicating that she was done, "It's the glee club." She stated quietly looking at the door Quinn had just walked through.

"Hhmm?" Judy hummed in question as she cleared the table.

"That's who keeps calling Quinn, It's the glee club." She spoke softly, head bowed staring at her folded arms, "They have heard the report and now they are calling to gossip and find out if it's true."

Judy turned to face her, back leaning up against the kitchen sink, "I'm sure they're calling to see how you are too sweetie."

The brunette shook her head in reply, "No, they don't care about me." She said factually, no real emotion in her tone, "I was absent from school for a whole week and the only people who tried to contact me were your daughter and Noah."

"Oh honey, that's not true. I'm sure they care deeply for you, they just don't know how to express it." Judy said soothingly, walking slowly towards the diva and sitting down in the chair next to her, she restrained herself from taking the girl's hand, unsure that the physical contact would be appreciated yet.

"No, they care about my voice, about what I can do for them but not about me as a person. Don't you think they would be calling me on my phone or even just dropping me a text if they were worried about me?" She locked eyes with Judy, big brown eyes boring into blue, "No, trust me when I say they are calling to get the gossip. That statement that the police gave was vague and they think that since I'm staying with you, Quinn would be able to tell them what really happened."

She shook her head releasing a humourless chuckle, "Probably warning her about what to expect when living with me, wishing her luck you know, the usual."

Judy was flabbergasted at the girl's absolute belief that these people, who Quinn considered to be friends, genuinely did not care for her. She didn't want the girl to shut down now that she was actually talking and opening up to her, so she decided not to say anything in response, scared that the brunette may begin to feel as if the blonde was picking their side over hers and that was the last thing she needed to happen. She needed the girl to know that she was there for her and was going to support her no matter what, so she simply placed her hand on the girl's shoulder squeezing lightly, offering her a small nod and a sincere, caring smile.

Rachel just shrugged her shoulders in response, she was used to being treated as a none person by these people so it didn't affect her to much anymore, but she could tell by the sadness and confusion reflected in Judy's eyes that she was not comfortable with discussing such topics and therefore she decided a change of topic was necessary.

She needed to speak to Judy about a rather sensitive topic anyway, the sooner she did the better. The lack of Quinn's presence really made this the perfect opportunity for the discussion, it was going to be embarrassing enough having this conversation with just Judy, it would have been absolutely unbearable if Quinn had been present as well.

She leant towards the blonde, hands clasped tightly in her lap, head bowed staring at her feet, if she was going to have to do this, she refused to look at the older woman while doing so, "Um do you do you have some old towels or maybe even some old newspapers that I can use tonight." She mumbled quietly, a blush covering her cheeks.

Judy furrowed her brow in confusion, she was only just able to make out what the brunette had said and had absolutely no idea why she would make such a request or why she would be so embarrassed by it, "Why would you need that sweetheart?"

She had really hoped that the blonde would just give her what she had asked for and that would be that, only that wasn't that and now she had to have a conversation that she never thought she would, I mean how many 16 year olds do you know that have no bladder control when they sleep. She exhaled shakily, "I'm having a problem while I'm sleeping. " The diva started timidly, she squeezed her eyes shut before continuing, "I uh I have been wetting the bed."

Judy had to lean forward in order to hear what the young girl had said and her eyes widened in realisation when she did, "Oh." She stated softly, "It's alright sweetheart, it happens. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?" At Rachel's slight nod she continued, "Don't feel as if you have to answer this next question, but I it would help me to determine what would be the best way to approach this situation," she took a deep breath, making sure to look directly into the young girl's eyes, "Is it something that is occurring frequently?"

Rachel looked into warm blue eyes and could see absolutely no judgement, only concern, "Only when I'm sleeping and only since " she trailed off, her eyes glazing over as the memories came flooding to the forefront of her mind.

Judy's heart broke for the girl, the news wasn't really surprising to Judy, she had researched possible effects that people experience following traumatic events and bed wetting was common in children. Rachel was just a child and she had experienced something that could have traumatized even the bravest of men, "Well I think I have some towels we could use, but newspapers is definitely out of the question I won't have you sleeping on paper." She gave the girl's hand a squeeze before standing up, "Come on, lets go find the towels while Quinn is preoccupied."

Rachel gave the older woman a sincere, grateful smile as she stood up to join her. She really didn't want Quinn to know about this, she trusted the girl now, but she couldn't forget history and she had an ingrained fear that the old Quinn would suddenly reappear to use it against her. The older woman wrapped an arm around her giving her a smile as she directed Rachel out of the kitchen and down the hallway to find the towels.

Later that night Quinn was lying on her back in bed, she couldn't believe the nerve of the glee club, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Santana had all called and not one seemed the slightest bit interested in Rachel's well being what was even worse was that Rachel knew this and actually expected it. After the petite diva had gone to bed her mother had approached her and explained what the diva had thought, hoping that Quinn would be able to clear up all of the diva's misconceptions and when she couldn't she could see how upset and angry the woman had become and she couldn't blame her, she had been angry with them initially for being so inconsiderate, but now that she knew Rachel actually expected such behaviour she was downright furious.

Quinn released a sigh of frustration, running her fingers through her tousled hair. She looked over to her desk where her clock was located and noticed that it was 2am. She lay for a few more minutes before finally rolling out of bed, having come to terms with the fact that sleep was not going to come tonight.

As she was making her way over to her desk, she became aware of a sound that made her freeze. Realization of what she was hearing settled in and she quickly made her way to Rachel's room, not even bothering to knock before entering.

The sight that greeted her broke her heart; the little diva had her legs curled into her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them, rocking herself gently. The stream of light that was thrown into the room upon Quinn opening the door caused Rachel to lift her head, her red puffy eyes meeting Quinn's for the first time since the blonde had entered. A broken sob coming from the brunette snapped the blonde into action and she made her way over to the bed, arms outstretched to pull the other girl into an embrace, her progress was halted however when Rachel pushed against Quinn's shoulders with her hands preventing her from climbing on the bed.

Quinn frowned in confusion staring at Rachel for a minute before directing her gaze to the bed, where she noticed the wet towels. When she met the brunette's gaze for the second time she could see the fear and uncertainty reflected there, she gave the girl a small, sympathetic smile she knew how embarrassing this could be having been in a similar situation when she lived with Jones' during the last trimester of her pregnancy. She gently unwrapped the girl's arms, which had returned to their position around her legs, and helped her to stand up. Now that her legs were fully visible she was able to see the wet patch over the crotch area, confirming what she had thought. She ignored the diva's wet pants completely; knowing that the girl was probably trying to hold on to what dignity she could and her making it obvious she knew she had wet herself wouldn't help that at all. She squeezed the hands she was holding, "Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll sort this out, Okay?" she whispered.

Rachel found herself staring at a Fabray woman for the second time that night and again she could see nothing but love and caring in her eyes, she felt so guilty that she had ever doubted the girl. She nodded her head in response to the blonde's question, pulling the girl into a tight but quick hug before walking out of the room.

Quinn had gone to her mother and told her what had happened and the older woman had stated she would handle it and insisted that Quinn go to bed, which is exactly where the blonde found herself now. She had closed her eyes in the hopes she could fool herself into sleeping when she heard a tentative knock on the door. She looked up and noticed Rachel standing there with a shy, hesitant smile on her face.

"Your mom said it would be okay to sleep in here with you tonight. It...it will only before tonight and I don't even have to sleep in the bed if you are concerned that I might have another accident, I can just sleep on the floor, I really don't mind.

This is assuming you even want me here, if you don't its okay I I can just " Rachel rambled clearly nervous about the situation.

"Rachel!" Quinn yelled, cutting off any further rambling the diva may have done. She had a wide grin on her face having forgotten how much she missed the girl's rambling this past week and how happy she was that she had just gotten a glimpse of the old diva, she was still there it would just take some time for her to fight her way back to them. Instead of answering with words, she simply opened her arms indicating to Rachel to come and join her on the bed.

Rachel gave her a relieved smile before making her way to the bed and climbing in, almost instantly finding herself wrapped in Quinn's arms and pulled flush against the other girl.

Her body released an involuntary shiver at the feeling of being so pressed up against the other girl, the blonde's breath tickling the back of her neck. Her body was responding to this completely innocent cuddling in a way that it had never had before with anyone else. She had always had a small crush on Quinn, I mean the girl was beautiful, you'd have to be blind not to notice that and she had always had an appreciation for beautiful things. Now though with the way her body was responding she was wondering if perhaps it was not more than just an appreciation. Before she wouldn't have even questioned it, she had been raised to love the person and not the gender but now everything had changed and she was hesitant to even think about what this could all mean so she decided not to, she just closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths and waited for sleep to take her.

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay guys I am back with the next chapter, I apologise it took so long, I had a hectic week at uni...but that appears to be dying down now, just in time for me to start work. I will endevour to try to get at least one chapter up a week, but I can't make any promises...I'm sorry :(  
> This chapter is centred around Rachel's fathers' funerals, so it is quite sad and possibly angsty...but I did try to include some fluff at the end there to balance it out a bit. There will be a bit of Puck in this chapter, some Lucas...and of ourse Faberry :) Next chapter will probably occur after a time jump of about a month to help progress the plot a bit.  
> Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and alerts for this story. I really appreciate all the kind words you had to say about the last chapter. Please let me know what you think about this chapter, I'm not a 100% sure how I feel about it once again, so let me know what you think.  
> All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy and Co...I am merely borrowing them for a while.

_A/N2: I have no words about the glee finale, I won't give any details because some of you may not have seen it yet...but I honestly thought it was so disappointing, the only good thing about it was Rachel and Kurt, the rest felt so rushed and just plain wrong at times. I have continued to watch episode after episode hoping that it would get better, but it just keeps disappointing me and I honestly don't know if I can keep watching, I think this may be it for me. I love the music and will continue to listen to that, but I am going to have to rely on all you talented people for story from now on :) Sorry for the rant...needed to get that off my chest. Now on with the story..._

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**_Chapter 4_ **

 

It had been a week since Rachel had moved in with the Fabray's, the night following the one where she had ended up in Quinn's bed had played out exactly the same way, so it was decided that Rachel would sleep with the blonde for the rest of the week so that Judy could give her bed a thorough cleaning. It turned out to be a good decision because the comfort the girl provided resulted in a temporary cessation of her night terrors, which in turn resulted in no bed wetting much to the relief of the brunette.

She hadn't attended school that week partly because she didn't want to face the people who had made the worse day of her life that much worse and partly because she was helping Judy to plan her father's funerals, much to the older blonde's dismay. Both women had been absolutely amazing, Judy took off work to be with her all day and Quinn, who seemed to know exactly what the diva needed avoided talking about school and all the people in it, preferring rather to just spend her time with the diva watching movies, often resulting in the two girls cuddling on the couch, which they were both very much aware of but never bothered to question.

Rachel was currently lying awake in Quinn's bed early on Sunday morning, the funeral was set for 10am that morning, which was to be followed by a small gathering at the Fabray house so people could offer her their condolences and then all proceed to stand around and share little anecdotes about her fathers' as if they were actually their friends when in reality they didn't really know anything about them or her for that matter. She could feel the tears beginning to accumulate behind her eyes, this would truly be her final chance to say goodbye to her fathers', she knew she needed this, or at least that's what everyone had been telling her but she didn't want to have to say goodbye, she wasn't supposed to have to say goodbye for many years still. Without even thinking, she rolled over and buried her face in the still sleeping blonde's chest, her hand gripping the other girl's shirt as the tears began to fall.

Quinn roused at the sensation and upon seeing the state of the smaller girl she instinctively wrapped her arm around the petite diva and pulled her flush against her, rolling onto her back so that the other girl was lying on top of her. She buried her head into the brunette's hair and cooed nonsensical reassurances to the girl while she cried. She was aware that something had changed over the last week between the two of them, the little diva had become indescribably important to her, she always wanted to be near her when they were together and when they were apart she missed her dearly and in this very moment the sight of Rachel so broken made her feel so broken and she had no idea what to do to make it better for the girl she felt so helpless.

After a few minutes the brunette's sobbing became nothing more than a series of quiet whimpers, so Quinn placed her finger under the diva's chin indicating to the girl to lift her head, which she did, resting her chin on Quinn's sternum so the blonde could look in her eyes, "Are you okay?" she whispered quietly, wiping remnants of tears off of the girl's face. She knew it was probably a stupid question, of course she wasn't okay but it was all she could think to ask in that moment.

Rachel nodded her head in response keeping her eyes locked with the blonde's which seemed to be having a soothing effect on her, she could feel some of the tension, that had been accumulating in preparation for this day, leave her body sure she was still upset, but she felt that as long as she had Quinn's support she could make it through.

She nuzzled back into the blonde's chest enjoying the feeling of the blonde's heart beating against her ear, "Don't leave me today, okay? I don't think I can get through this without you." She murmured.

Quinn placed a kiss to the top of the girl's head, "I promise Rach I will be surgically attached to you today, where you go I go."

Rachel was walking through the cemetery where the funerals were being held, flanked by both Fabray women. She ignored everyone who was attending, clinging to Quinn's arm for dear life.

She could see majority of the glee club members sitting with their families and Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury who were sitting together. She felt the anger bubbling up from within and had to clench her jaw to stop herself from losing control and ruining her fathers' funerals, she didn't want them there and she was damn sure that none of them actually wanted to be there either they were only there because they probably felt guilty for how they had treated her, and she most certainly didn't need that in her life at the moment. She wasn't good enough to be liked before, so why should they care about her now.

She heard her name being called and turned her head in the direction of the sound to see Noah running towards her, his mother following close behind. Rachel let go of Quinn's arm and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck as he lifted her off the floor and into a tight embrace.

He was so happy to finally be able to see her and hold her, he had been texting her continuously since he found out, but had really wanted to see her with his own two eyes to make sure she was actually okay. He knew how close the diva was too her fathers' and knew how difficult this must all have been for her.

Noah gently lowered her back to the ground, only for her to immediately be pulled into another hug, "How are you holding up?" Mrs. Puckerman cooed into her ear.

Rachel nodded her head against the woman's shoulder where it was nestled, "I'm okay, it's getting a little easier every day."

Judy stood awkwardly behind the diva, her and Mrs. Puckerman didn't exactly get along and she definitely did not like Noah, just as she was sure the other woman did not like Quinn. The only reason she was still in her presence at the moment was because both women cared for Rachel and the young girl could use all the support she could get.

Mrs. Puckerman pulled back from the petite diva, keeping a firm grasp on the girl's shoulders. She gave Judy a short nod of acknowledgement over Rachel's shoulder before returning her focus to the young girl, "We're going to take our seats sweetheart. If you need anything at all, you call me alright? I don't care what the time is you just call and I'll be right there."

Rachel nodded her response giving the woman a small smile. The older woman gave her shoulders one final squeeze before taking Noah's hand and leaving to find their seats. Rachel instantly spun around to Quinn who immediately opened her arms for the diva to step into, which she duly did.

Kurt was watching the girls with interest, he knew Rachel was going through a really hard time he had only lost one parent and at the time he didn't think he was going to be able to live through the pain he was feeling, he could only imagine what it must have felt like to lose both parents at the same time. Therefore he was more than aware that she needed comfort, but the way that Quinn was rocking the diva gently in her arms and placing kisses intermittently on her head or the way the smaller brunette was clinging to the blonde as if trying to meld her body into the other girls  well it was more than just for comfort, it was too intimate to be just for comfort it looked like it was a need, they needed to be closer together, like no matter how hard they tried close was never close enough.

If anyone knew what gay looked like it was Kurt and that was it. He wasn't sure if the girls were even aware of the kind of message their actions were portraying, was it accidental or maybe intentional? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he was going to keep a careful eye on them to see how it, whatever it was, progressed.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the rabbi began the service. Rachel, who was sitting between Quinn and Judy one of her hands clasped firmly in each of theirs, didn't even hear a word of what was being said, her focus was locked on the two coffins in front of her which now housed her fathers' bodies and would continue to for the rest of time, this was it, she really would never see them again after this, she would lay them to rest and then the hope was that she could begin to move past this and continue on with her life.

Before she was even aware what was really happening she was being signalled by the rabbi to come forward to give the final eulogy. Quinn gave her hand a firm squeeze to let the diva know she was right there before she stood up and made her way to the front, she focused on the coffins for a minute when she arrived at her destination before she turned around to face everyone in attendance, noting the presence of the police car parked not too far away.

She took a deep breath, exhaling shakily, hands clasped tightly together in front of her in an attempt to control their trembling. "My dads' were my everything They were the only people in my life who loved me for me and who supported me, no questions asked. They never expected me to be anything other than what I was their talented, beautiful little diva." She felt tears begin to fall as she began to relive memories of times they had referred to her as such. "They always knew exactly what to do to comfort me following a bad day at school which was pretty much every day. They used to say 'Rachel don't let them get to you, you are amazing and if they can't appreciate that, then that's their loss. It just means we get to spend more time with our favourite person.' They knew I didn't have any friends, so they made sure to be home every afternoon and took weekends off to spend with me, we sang karaoke, played games, watched movies and went shopping all the things a girl was supposed to do with their friends they were my friends." She smiled softly. Her lips were trembling dangerously, her breath escaping from her in short gasps as she tried to hold back the sobs that so desperately wanted to escape until after her eulogy. "I never understood why people hated them so much and why they were treated so badly I still don't understand it, they were the most wonderful, loving men I have ever known and I'm sure I'll never meet anyone like them again. Just as I never deserved the treatment I received they were most undeserving of the treatment they received and just because of who they loved I have never met two people more in love than my fathers and despite all the hardships that were thrown at them they were so happy, because they had each other."

She looked over at Quinn and Judy needing the strength and support that they had to offer, her vision was blurred by her tears but she was still able to see Quinn's hazel eyes and just as they had over the last week, they instantly began to soothe her. Quinn gave her a slight nod which she returned before returning her attention to the rest of the people in attendance, "When I arrived home on that day, my fathers' had their record player out. They only ever bought the player out when they were feeling particularly romantic and the song that was playing only adds to my theory that that was indeed the case. They were listening to Dolly Parton's version of I will always love you, which happened to be their wedding song and even though I didn't get to see it, I have no doubt in my mind that they were dancing together in the kitchen, reliving some wonderful memory from many years before. I am so angry and upset that they were taken from me and now I am forced to go through life without them and the only thing that makes that pain reduce slightly is the fact that I know that they left this world to join the next exactly how they would have wanted, exactly how they lived most of their life together.

So as a tribute to my daddies, I am going to sing that song to them, they didn't get to finish listening to it on that day but they will get to today. " She looked up at the sky, tears streaming down her face, voice shaking uncontrollably, "I love you daddies and I will miss you for the rest of my life but I know that you are somewhere looking down on me and that you'll be with me always. So this is goodbye for now, but we will see each other again someday and when we do, it will be a happy day for us all. So this is for you dance for me will you?" She took a deep breath before she began to sing:

_If I should stay_

_Well, I would only be in your way_

_And so I'll go, and yet I know_

_That I'll think of you each step of my way_

_And I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

_Bitter-sweet memories_

_That's all I have, and all I'm taking with me_

_Good-bye, oh, please don't cry_

_'Cause we both know that I'm not_

_What you need_

_But I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

_And I hope life, will treat you kind_

_And I hope that you have all_

_That you ever dreamed of_

_Oh, I do wish you joy_

_And I wish you happiness_

_But above all this_

_I wish you love_

_I love you, I will always love_

_I will always, always love you_

_I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

_I will always love you_

 

As soon as the song finished Rachel allowed herself to break down, heart wrenching sobs ripping from her chest and as she felt her knees buckle under the weight of her emotions, a strong pair of arms wrapped around preventing her from collapsing to the ground. She inhaled deeply recognising the sent anywhere before gripping onto the person as if they were her last life line, burying her head in their chest allowing the feelings of love and comfort to wash over her.

"It's okay Rach, I got you I got you." Quinn cooed into the brunette's hair as she cradled the sobbing girl to her chest, "You're alright You're safe now, okay?" She placed a lingering kiss to the girl's head, her own tears having subsided now that Rachel was in her arms, "It's over now okay? Let's go home, hmmm?" At Rachel's nod she began to lead the diva away from the group of people, who were all just standing staring at the girl despite Judy's best attempts to get them to leave, to their car in order to get some privacy.

On their way there however they caught sight of two people coming towards them. Luke squealed in delight upon seeing Rachel causing a genuine smile to break out on her face for the first time that day. She began walking towards him with purpose, pulling Quinn along behind her.

Danni smiled brightly, Lucas resting comfortably on her hip. She knew this day was going to be really hard on the girl and after some careful thought she came to the conclusion that there was really only one thing or rather one tiny person that could brighten up this otherwise terrible day.

Lucas instantly stretched out to the diva when she was within reach. Rachel dropped Quinn's hand and took the small boy into her arms, instantly pulling him flush against her chest, needing to feel the warmth of his body.

Quinn placed her hand on Lucas' back, smiling warmly at him when he looked up at her. She had only interacted with him once before, but Rachel had told her so much about him over the last week that she felt as if she knew him.

Danni smiled warmly at the sight, "I thought that you could use a little pick me up today lord knows he definitely did he's missed you." It still surprised her how quickly Lucas had taken to the brunette, he usually didn't bond with anyone it was almost like he was physically incapable of doing it. But with Rachel it was like he was a different little boy, more lively happier.

"I've missed him too." She murmured, dropping a kiss on his head, while attempting to snuggle further into Quinn needing the contact she had quickly come to crave.

Judy walked over to the group finally having managed to get everyone to head to the Fabray house, "Oh Danni, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Yeah, it took some convincing but the home finally decided that I could bring him, provided he didn't actually see the funeral. So we have been waiting in the car for the last 20 minutes biding our time until the service was over." She explained to Judy, both women watching the girls interact with Lucas. They chuckled lightly when the small boy clutched onto Quinn's finger tightly, eyeing her intently as if trying to determine if her intentions towards Rachel were honest and pure. After about a minute of him just staring at her he let go of the blonde's finger and reached up to pat her cheek before cuddling back into Rachel, his tiny fist gripping her dress.

Judy and Danni gave each other a knowing look before returning their focus to a now very confused blonde, "I think you were just given the stamp of approval." Danni teased playfully, "You should feel honoured he doesn't give that to just anyone."

Quinn smirked at the two women, "Yeah, well I suppose it's a good thing considering we're going to be sharing Rach now." She smiled down at the diva, emphasising her point by putting her arm around the girl and pulling her tightly against her side.

Rachel smiled up at the blonde, her eyes were still red and puffy but her tears had ceased. She turned her focus back on the little boy resting contently in her arms and sighed resignedly, "I just feel so bad that I won't be able to see him as much anymore, it's like I'm letting him down just like everybody else in his life has. I waltzed in, turned it upside down and then waltzed right back out again."

Danni looked to Judy for permission and when she received a subtle nod, she turned her attention to the girls to address them, "Judy and I have actually been speaking quite a bit about that over the last week. We are aware of how much you and Lucas mean to each other and we think we have come to a solution of sorts to your predicament." She smirked slightly when she noticed the looks of anticipation on the girls' faces, "We had some obstacles to overcome and some channels we had to go through, but the end result, which is what you are really interested in, is that Judy has been granted permission to take Lucas from the home on day trips."

Both girls stood completely dumbfounded for a second before Rachel began squealing in excitement, rousing Lucas who had been slumbering against her chest. He took in the excited smiles on both girls' faces and knew something good had happened, he had no idea what it was but that didn't stop him from smiling and clapping his hands in excitement as well.

"Seriously?" Rachel questioned, eyes locked with Judy who nodded in response. She walked over to the two women and hugged them both, lingering in the embrace with the older Fabray woman, "Thank you so much for this." She whispered in Judy's ear.

"No need to thank me dear." She pulled back from the hug and looked down at the little boy still in the brunette's arms and gave him a cheeky smile, "Besides, I think it will be nice to have a man around the house again."

Quinn smiled sweetly at the scene taking place in front of her; she decided to give them a moment and looked away catching sight of a tombstone in her peripheral vision, serving to remind her that they were in fact still standing in the graveyard. She didn't want the brunette to spend any more time there than they already had and decided to prompt the other ladies into leaving, "I think we should probably get going we don't want everyone standing around waiting for us."

Judy and Danni nodded their heads in agreement and began walking slowly back to the cars, a hand on Judy's arm halted their progress however, "Would it be alright for Quinn, Luke and I to walk back?" Rachel asked hesitantly, eyes cast downward. Her day had only just started to become bearable and she wanted to spend her time with the two people who were mostly responsible for that, rather than a bunch of fakers who didn't really care about her or her fathers.

Even though it had only been 7 days Judy was beginning to pick up on Rachel's emotions it wasn't difficult really, that's not to say that the girl was wearing her emotions on her sleeve in fact it was quite the opposite actually, it's just that she happened to be somewhat of an expert at reading people who permanently put up a front I mean she had been married to one for many years. She knew the girl didn't want to socialize with the guests waiting at the house, every time she tried to broach the subject with the brunette she always tried to appear indifferent or unaffected, when in reality she could tell that the young girl was seething. She wanted Rachel to feel comfortable enough to open up to her, to tell her she was angry, to let her help her through everything she was feeling but that didn't appear to be happening anytime soon, so she would settle for interpreting her emotions and deciding what was best for her that way. She nodded her head in consent, smiling lightly at the young girl, she had already been through enough that day she would happily grant her this reprieve.

"Thanks mom." Quinn stated sincerely, "We'll be there in about an hour." The two ladies bid the girls goodbye leaving them standing in the graveyard alone. Rachel turned to the blonde and buried her head into her chest, squeezing her waist tightly, "Thank you for being there for me today." She murmured quietly, "I really don't think I would have made it through this without you."

Quinn buried her nose into the brunette's hair while returning the tight embrace, "There is nowhere else I would have rather been Rach. I promised you I would be there for you and I meant that."

The two girls stood completely content in each others' arms, allowing all their worries and fears to melt away in that moment. It was only the feeling of Lucas wriggling between them that caused them to break apart.

Quinn chuckled lightly wrapping her arm around Rachel's waist as they slowly began their walk home, "He really does not like us hugging."

"I don't think he has a problem with us hugging, it's the part where he gets squashed between us that he doesn't like.

Isn't that right Luke?" She cooed playfully, staring at the little boy who nodded his head firmly in answer. "See, next time we embrace we should ensure he doesn't get squished." Rachel explained nonchalantly.

"Oh, okay then I'll let you know well in advance when I plan to hug you and we can make the appropriate arrangements for Lucas." She answered with a teasing smile.

Rachel looked up at the Quinn with a twinkle in her eye that she had missed. She kept on getting glimpses of the diva she grew up with, they came few and far between but the point was that they came and that gave her hope that the girl really was going to be okay eventually.

"I'll make a timetable when we get home, then when you feel the urge to hug me you can pencil yourself in and I'll make sure I'm available." Rachel responded factually, her face giving away no emotion.

Quinn stopped dead in her tracks, she didn't know if the girl was kidding or not. She had heard how freakishly organised she could be and therefore wouldn't put it past the diva to make her book an appointment for a hug. She didn't want to have to schedule a hug, she wanted to be able to hug the girl whenever she wanted Lucas being squashed be damned. No, no, no this would not do, she had to find a way to make the diva scrap the whole idea.

The blonde was only drawn from her thoughts by the sound of two people bursting into laughter, "I'm kidding Fabray." Rachel exclaimed playfully.

Quinn felt her whole body relax, a reluctant smile breaking out on her face as she fell into step next to the brunette, her arm taking up residence around the other girl's waist again, "That was mean, I like being able to hug you whenever I want I don't want that to change."

The brunette smiled shyly up at the blonde, her lip clutched firmly between her teeth, she liked knowing the other girl had become just as dependent and addicted to their hugs as she had, "I like hugging you too Quinn." She murmured into her chest, snuggling tightly into her side as the three continued their trek to the Fabray house.

Little did the girls know someone had been watching their entire exchange and they weren't at all happy about what they had seen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys, here is chapter 5...we have some Faberry, Luke, Puck and a little bit of Kurt. I am really sorry this took so long to get up, I've had a week from hell, got bad news on Monday, my sister and I basically did an entire 30 minute group presentation on our own on Wed, and I started work on Thursday and Friday, so I have been hectic busy, but I really wanted to give you guys something...so here it is :)  
>  Thanks so much for all the reviews, alerts and favourites, I am so glad you guys are all enjoying this :). Keep telling me what you think, I really appreciate any and all feed back :)  
>  All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own glee or any of it's characters...that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily.

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**_Chapter 5_ **

 

Rachel was standing by her locker putting her books away, it had been a month since her fathers' funerals and things were slowly returning to a state of normality. It wasn't anything like her life prior to the event, but she was adapting to this new life that she had found herself and found that she didn't feel that uncomfortable anymore and she knew that that was largely due to the Fabray women.

About a week after the funerals Judy had recommended that she attend therapy to help her cope with all that had happened. She had initially been reluctant, but finally agreed after the older woman promised that she would go with her and she was so grateful to the woman for making the suggestion. The sessions had been really helpful, allowing her to talk through her feelings about her dads' deaths and what it was like to live with the Fabray's and having Judy attend the sessions with her had also helped their relationship, bridging the distance that had existed between the two women.

Quinn had become her saviour over the last month, making sure she was there for the diva whenever she needed her which was becoming more and more frequent as time went on. In fact she wanted Quinn with her basically 24/7. When she attended her weekly therapy sessions or any classes that she did not share with the blonde, she found herself missing her terribly. They had become inseparable, doing basically everything together, including sleeping. Rachel was still sleeping with the blonde in her bed basically every night, so much so that Judy had jokingly began to refer to it as 'their bed'. Quinn made her feel so many things and she was aware that some of them were not strictly platonic but she still wasn't ready to address that yet she wasn't sure she ever would be and it certainly didn't help that the police still had yet to catch the person who had murdered her fathers.

The police's plan to get the killer to reveal themselves by withholding details of the crime hadn't worked yet, but they weren't giving up and had hope that it was only a matter of time until they found who did it. This all meant however that the house still needed to be under 24 hour police surveillance, it didn't really affect them anymore though because they had all become so used to it. Quinn and Noah were exceptionally overprotective of her at school ensuring that she was never on her own; they weren't willing to take any risks especially when they knew the person that had killed her dads' was still out there.

She slammed her locker and jumped in fright when she came face to face with Kurt, she looked past him down the corridor, praying that Quinn or Noah would appear and save her from having to speak to him. That was one of the main things that had changed since 'the incident' she had quit glee, still refusing to speak to most of the members. She was tired of how they treated her, it took having her fathers' taken away from her and her whole world being turned on its head for her to realise that she deserved better.

"Hello Rachel." Kurt said, books clutched firmly to his chest.

Rachel stared at him for a moment completely dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that he could think he could just walk up to her after a month of no talking and strike up a conversation as if nothing had happened. She shook her head, chuckling in disbelief as she began to walk in the direction of Quinn's locker.

"You are going to have to speak to one of us eventually Rachel." Kurt called as he began to walk behind her.

The brunette rolled her eyes at his persistence, couldn't he tell that she really did not want to talk to him, let alone have a conversation with him about this.

"We need you in glee club, Rachel." Kurt explained, "And I know you need it too. You're like me Rachel; you need to sing like you need to breathe." When the diva continued on as if she had never heard him, he decided he needed to bring out the big guns, "Glee would help you get Broadway Rachel, it's your dream. You know your fathers' "

Rachel whirled around stopping him mid sentence, "Don't you dare talk about me or my fathers' as if you knew us. Singing and Broadway may have been my whole life at one stage, but it isn't anymore." She pushed him until his back hit up against a locker, drawing the attention of all the students in their vicinity, "I was a naÃ¯ve little school girl living in a fantasy. It took me losing everything to realise what was really important to me." She poked him in the chest for emphasis, "Don't make the same mistake I did Kurt." She turned on her heel and carried on walking down the corridor to Quinn's locker.

"Wait Rachel!" Kurt yelled, running up to the diva and catching her arm to stop her, "You love singing I know you do, I can see every time you do it that you do."

"I do love singing Kurt I just know now that it's not the only thing I love, there is so much more to life than just singing."

She stated with passion and sincerity.

"But if you love to sing, why won't you come back to Glee you'd get to sing all the time then." Kurt explained in a soft and gentle tone.

She smiled sadly at him, "I still sing all the time Kurt, just because I'm not in Glee doesn't mean I don't sing. I just realised I would rather spend my time with and sing to people who really like me, rather than a group of students' who couldn't stand me."

Just as he was about to respond, Quinn appeared next to the diva. She eyed him suspiciously for a minute before turning her focus to the brunette, wrapping her arm around her waist as she did, "Hey, you ready to go? We can pick Lucas up on our way home."

Rachel nodded her head enthusiastically a beaming smile on her face. Both girls gave Kurt a small wave as they walked passed him heading towards the exit, leaving him standing in the middle of the corridor feeling incredibly guilty and ashamed of his and the other glee members behaviour towards the little diva.

The two girls were sitting on the floor in Quinn's room playing with Luke; they had been helping him walk back and forth between the two of them much to his delight. He was currently standing in front of the blonde, her hands on his sides holding him up.

"Rach, I'm just going to go downstairs quickly to get us some snacks." Quinn called to the brunette who had just entered the ensuite bathroom. She placed Luke on the floor by some of his toys, rubbing his head affectionately as she stood up,

"Be good, I'll be back in a few minutes." She cooed to the blonde baby before walking out the room and closing the door behind her, she knew he didn't know how to walk yet but she didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.

A moment later Rachel opened the bathroom door to re-enter the room but instantly froze when she took in the sight in front of her, Luke was pushing himself off the floor and onto his feet unsteadily. She stood stock still, barely even breathing for fear that if she moved even slightly she would distract him and he would lose his concentration and fall. He lifted his hands off the floor wobbling slightly before finding his balance and standing upright, he looked towards the brunette with a big toothy grin on his face he was so proud of himself and he knew that she would be too.

She released a joyful laugh, her eyes glistening with tears. There was one person in this world that she wanted to share this moment with and seeing as how he was standing now, she was no longer concerned about distracting him and thus she no longer felt the need to keep quiet so she did the one thing she could think of to get their attention, "Quinn!" she yelled, "You better get up here now!"

The blonde came flying through the bedroom door, panting from having sprinted up the stairs, "What's going " she trailed off when she noticed Luke standing in the middle of the room staring at her curiously standing on his own on his feet, "He's he's standing." She murmured, eyes never leaving the boy.

Rachel walked over to the blonde, a proud smile gracing her features, "Yeah, he is." Both girls sunk slowly to the floor next to each other, eyes still locked firmly on Lucas, "Can you walk to us Luke?" Rachel asked arms outstretched in front of her.

The small boy bit his lip in concentration, looking from his legs to the girls and then back at his legs. He took a tentative step forward, wobbling a little, before regaining his balance and taking another step forward, beginning a slow walk towards them.

Rachel clasped one hand over her mouth, the other gripping tightly around Quinn's arm, "He's doing it Quinn he's walking." She whispered, tears streaming down her face, she couldn't even begin to describe the emotions she was feeling at that moment, she could only assume it was something akin to motherly pride.

"I know Rach, I know." She responded, completely in awe of the little boy who had wiggled his way into her heart and had become such an important part of her life. Both girls let out an excited cheer as he reached them and walked into the brunette's arms, kissing him all over his face in celebration of his achievement.

Quinn locked eyes with Rachel over the little boy's head, both smiling widely through their tears. She reached out on instinct and brushed a lock of dark hair behind the girl's ear before settling her hand onto the other girl's cheek. She wasn't sure exactly what made this particular moment so different, there had been several similar moments between the girls' in the past but they had felt nothing like this. The tension between the girls' was palpable and there had been a definite shift in the mood of the moment. Her heart was beating erratically and she was finding it difficult to breathe, she knew that if she didn't make a move now she never would, so she swallowed thickly, suppressing the fear and uncertainty she felt, and leant forward connecting her lips with the divas.

I t took Rachel a second to fully register what was happening and when she finally did, she knew she should have stopped it but it felt so good to be with the blonde like that and for the first time since her dads' had died she felt whole again, and she wasn't willing to lose that feeling just yet. The brunette pushed back against the blonde returning the kiss, it was just a gentle brushing of their lips against each other, but it felt like so much more. She wanted to hold onto that kiss for as long as possible because she was completely aware that the minute it broke reality would set in and the bubble that they currently found themselves in would burst and that would be the end of it.

Quinn finally broke the kiss after a minute or two when the need for air became impossible to ignore. She wasn't ready to lose her connection with the brunette yet so she settled for resting her forehead against the diva's, her thumb stroking the other girl's cheek. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut, knowing that the minute she opened them the moment would be over and she would be in for an uphill battle to get it to happen again.

Rachel exhaled shakily pulling away from the blonde, she wanted it she wanted it so badly, but she couldn't she wouldn't it was just better if they didn't, "That that shouldn't have happened Quinn." She whispered shakily, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Rachel "

"No Quinn!" the brunette exclaimed, interrupting the blonde, "This isn't a discussion okay? It was a onetime thing and it won't be happening again." She passed Lucas to Quinn and stood up, leaving the room without another word.

Quinn looked down at the small boy, hugging him tightly to her chest when she noticed his quivering lip and teary eyes,

"I'm going to fix this buddy, I promise." She murmured soothingly, dropping a kiss to his head.

It was about 45 minutes later when the doorbell went. Quinn hadn't seen Rachel since she had left her room and she really wanted no, she needed to sort out whatever it was that was going on between them. The blonde opened the door to reveal Puck standing on the front porch with his hands buried deep in his pockets, "Hey Puck, thanks so much for coming, I owe you big time for this."

"It's seriously no problem Q, I would love to spend an hour or two with the little guy." Puck explained. He was actually really glad when the blonde called and asked if he wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Luke for a few hours he would always pick spending time with Luke over everything else he had going on in his life at that moment he loved the little boy.

"Yeah, well it should definitely be fun; he recently discovered what his legs are used for." Quinn mused, staring fondly at the little boy who was standing with her at the door, clutching onto her leg for dear life.

"Seriously!" Puck exclaimed, crouching down onto his haunches so that he was eye level with the blonde boy, "Way to go little dude." He stated, smiling widely at Lucas, "You think you can walk to old Puck?" he asked, opening his arms for Luke to walk into.

Lucas looked at Puck for a moment and then stared up at Quinn as if asking for her permission or advice. It was only after the blonde's nod of consent that he let go of her leg with a toothy grin and walked into Puck's arms.

Puck stood up holding Lucas with one arm and taking his bag with the other, "So just call me when everything is sorted out and I'll bring him home."

"Again, thanks for this Puck I just I need a bit of time alone with Rachel." She sighed, a hint of sadness in her tone.

He had no idea what had happened between the two girls' but he knew that it had to have been serious because he hadn't seen the blonde quite so sad in a while. "Honestly, it's cool Q .You just focus on fixing whatever it is that you need to fix with Rachel and I'll make sure that this little guy is safe and happy while you do it." He stated sincerely.

When Quinn nodded her response he offered he one last reassuring smile before deciding the conversation could probably use another change of topic, the last thing the blonde needed was to talk about her talk with the brunette before her actual talk with the brunette. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the police car parked across the road, "I see Rod is still keeping an eye out."

Quinn looked past Puck at the car and nodded, "Yip, good old dependable Rod, always there 12 O'clock on the head."

Puck shuddered slightly, "I don't know how you guys are actually doing it. I've only been here for a few minutes and my sixth sense is already going haywire."

The blonde gave him a sympathetic smile, "Well when you have been watched continuously for about 6 weeks, you kind of get used to the feeling plus Rod is actually really nice and polite, so the idea that he is the one who is keeping an eye out makes us all feel a little better. Mom absolutely loves him."

Puck winced at the mention of Judy. The older woman tolerated him and his presence in their lives and home because of his relationship with Rachel, but she definitely did not like him. When he was visiting the girls he was forbidden from going upstairs into either one of their rooms in fact his movement was pretty much limited to the living room and the downstairs guest bathroom. She didn't trust him and he didn't blame her but just because he could understand where she was coming from didn't mean she didn't scare the shit out of him, "Um could you like make sure you call me before your mom gets home. I really don't feel like having to deal with her today."

The blonde gave him a small smile and nodded. If anyone could understand his reluctance it was her, after all she felt the same way about his mother.

Puck smiled in relief, cocky grin returning to his face, "Alright then. We shall be off to go and do some manly things. We'll see you later." Puck turned around and began walking to his truck, Lucas waving at her over his shoulder.

Quinn waved back, smiling warmly at the little boy. She stood by the front door and waited until the two boys were in the car and on their way before closing the door and making her way upstairs.

Rachel was lying on her back on her bed, ignoring the knocking on her door. She knew this was coming, she didn't hear the conversation that had taken place downstairs but she had watched Noah drive off with Luke from her bedroom window and there was only one reason why Quinn would want Luke out of the house she wanted to talk about what had happened and she really didn't want to do that.

"Come on Rach, open the door please!" The blonde begged, she wanted the brunette to let her in to want to talk to her to want to sort this out, but if she didn't she was willing to do it by force.

When she didn't get a response she pulled a master key from her pocket and used it to open the door. Her mother had gotten the key cut when she was still a child; in case of an emergency like a fire or something it had never needed to be used until now.

Rachel lifted her head and looked towards the now open door to see Quinn standing there, one hand on her hip, the other brandishing the key that was responsible for the removal of her protective barrier or for opening the door.

"I take it from your refusal to open the door that you still don't want to talk about what happened?" Quinn stated with a raised eyebrow.

The brunette sighed resignedly, dropping her head back onto the bed, choosing to stare at the ceiling rather than the blonde in that moment, "Quinn I already told you, nothing "

"Rachel, just stop!" the blonde exclaimed in frustration, "You may not want to talk about it, but I need to, so you are just going to have to lie there and listen to me okay?" When the brunette did nothing but continue to stare at the ceiling, she took it as her consent and continued, "I don't know what's going on between us Rachel, but I do know that you have quickly become the most important person in my life and I don't think I have ever felt for anyone what I currently feel for you." She slowly walked over to the bed and sat down next to the brunette, "I don't regret kissing you Rachel you'd think I would, what with my upbringing and the fact that you're a girl. But I don't Rachel I regret nothing about that moment because nothing has ever felt so right to me in my life and you can try all you like to convince me otherwise, but I know you felt something too." She stated softly, hands clasped firmly in her lap to prevent herself from reaching out to the diva.

She had just bared her soul, something she only ever did with Rachel, she had left herself completely exposed to the other girl and that made her feel so vulnerable because she knew that Rachel had the power to really hurt her in that moment.

Rachel rolled her head to the side, her heart clenching at the sight of the blonde. She looked so earnest, her hazel eyes shining with such vulnerability and something she could only assume was trust. The blonde had been completely honest with her, trusting her to protect her heart and hoping that the brunette would trust her enough to return the favour.

This was Quinn completely stripped of all her defences and she had never been more beautiful to the brunette than she was in that moment. She stretched out and placed her hand over the blonde's clasped ones and squeezed gently.

She wanted to be honest with the girl and tell her exactly how she felt about her, but she knew where that would lead and she couldn't let that happen, "It was a mistake Quinn." She exhaled shakily.

"Why?" Quinn whispered, "Tell me why you say that and I'll leave it alone."

"Because because I didn't feel anything." She stuttered with her eyes squeezed shut, maybe if she said it enough she could get herself as well as Quinn to believe it.

"That's bullshit Rachel!" Quinn yelled, standing up from the bed, flinging the brunette's hand off her own as she went, "You couldn't even look me in the eye when you said that." She hissed, glaring down at the diva, "So let's try this again with the truth this time."

"Quinn, I don't know what you "

"The truth Rachel!" The blonde exclaimed, "No more excuses, I want the truth."

Rachel exhaled shakily but didn't say anything, choosing rather to return to staring at the ceiling. The blonde knew her to well to believe anything she said, so she wouldn't say anything at all.

"God dammit, Rachel! Just tell me." Quinn pleaded. When the brunette still refused to answer, she knew she would have to do something to get a rise out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled slowly, the guilt she was feeling for what she was about to do was already debilitating, but it needed to be done she needed the truth. So she squared her shoulders and marched to the bed, sneering down at the brunette, "I bet your dads would be so disappointed in you right now what with all the lying that you are currently doing."

Instantly Rachel's eyes snapped to Quinn, a fire the blonde had never seen burning within them, She gripped Quinn's wrist and pulled until the blonde was practically lying on top of her, "My fathers' would be proud of me right now." She said her voice dangerously low, "I am after all doing all of this to protect you. I don't want what happened to them to happen to you."

It was the feeling of the blonde jerking back that broke the trance the diva had found herself in, it was the look of realisation on Quinn's face that made her remember what she had just said. She loosened her hold on the other girl's wrist but didn't let go completely, "You did that on purpose."

The blonde, who was still in a mild state of shock following Rachel's confession, managed to nod her head in response.

She knew any mention of her fathers' tended to cause the diva to lose control of her emotions, which often resulted in her acting first and thinking later which was exactly what Quinn needed to happen so that she could get an honest answer out of the other girl. "Is that how you really feel?" she whispered quietly, finally overcoming her shock enough to ask.

Rachel sighed, she would still have preferred not to have to have this conversation, but seeing as how the blonde already knew the reasoning behind her reluctance she really had no reason to continue to lie, so she decided to finally be completely honest with the other girls. She lifted her hand and gently cupped the blonde's cheek, "I like you a lot Quinn, I think I have for a while now but we can't do this not when the person who killed my dads', for no other reason than they were in love, is still out there and possibly not even after that. There are always going to be homophobic people in the world Quinn and I refuse to put you in a position of danger I care to much about you to do that."

Quinn could feel the tears accumulating in her eyes; her heart broke for the girl lying beneath her. She hated that one person who had committed such a vile act out of hate and ignorance had altered the brunette's perception of the world, only allowing her to see all the bad and none of the good anymore, that one act of hate and overridden all the acts of love and kindness that she had seen, that she was willing to give up on her own chance at love and happiness for fear that some ignorant asshole would hurt them too.

She vowed in that moment that she was going to help the brunette to remember what it was like to be happy and to help her to see the joy and love that still existed in the world despite that one heinous act that altered her life forever, "Rach, can I tell you what I learned from what happened to your dads'?" she murmured quietly, eyed locked with dark pools swirling below her.

At the brunette's small nod she continued, "It made me realise that life's too short not to do what you want to do. I know you are worried about putting me in danger by being with you but I'd rather be in danger with you than miserable without you." She brushed a lock of the brunette's dark hair off her face, "Nothing worth having ever comes easily .there will always be dangers and risks that you encounter, but it makes the end product all the more sweet and worthwhile and I think your dads would agree with me on that point. They wouldn't have taken back one moment they had together even if they knew exactly where it was leading and they most definitely would want you to be happy no matter what. They'd want you to live your life Rach, not live in fear of things that may never happen." She lightly brushed her thumb along the diva's bottom lip, "So what do you say Rach? Do you want to take a risk and be happy with me, or do you want to play it safe and be miserable without me?"

The brunette stared at the blonde contemplatively, thinking carefully about everything she had said. She was right, but knowing that and getting herself to believe it were to completely different things. The evil and brutality that was committed against her fathers' was something that she would never be able to able to forget, the image of the two men lying on the kitchen floor was burned into her mind and she never wanted to see Quinn like that, "I don't know Quinn I just don't know."

Quinn sat in silence for a moment just staring down at the brunette, "Do you like me Rachel?" The blonde asked firmly.

"What?" Rachel questioned in confusion, "Of course I like you I already told you that."

"Do I make you happy?" Quinn questioned.

The brunette nodded her head, "You and Lucas are the only two people who make me really feel anything."

Quinn smiled sadly at the brunette's response, "So can't we just try this and see where it goes?" the blonde questioned softly, "Nothing much will change between us in public anyway and any additional affections we can keep behind closed doors and away from prying eyes, and later if we find we are compatible as more than just friends well then we can sit down and re evaluate our options."

The brunette knew exactly what the blonde was doing; she was offering a compromise that allowed them both to get what they want at least temporarily. She wanted to fault it somehow, but she couldn't she wanted the blonde, but she wanted her safe and this compromise gave her both and she would have had to have been a complete fool to turn that down. She cupped the back of the blonde's neck with one hand, the other coming to rest on the other girl's cheek, "Okay let's try and see where it goes."

The blonde exhaled in relief, a smile breaking out onto her face, "Yeah?"

Rachel smiled warmly at the blonde, pulling her closer by her neck, "Yeah" she murmured in response, before connecting her lips with the blonde's to enjoy the second of what was to be hopefully many more kisses.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright I am back with the next chapter, my sincerest apologies that I have taken so long to update...I planned to finish it on Saturday (Australian time) but I spent the day with my boyfriend instead...so I planned to do it on Sunday (Australian time) but all that stuff with Dianna went down and then I spent my evening watching movies with the boyfriend so...I didn't get around to it. But it is done now and it has been edited...so Yay!
> 
> You guys are absolutely amazing, thank you so much for all the love you have been showing this story...it means so much. Please continue to review and let me know what you guys are thinking :)  
> All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologize for them in advance.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily.

* * *

  ** _Chapter 6_ **

 

It had been two weeks since the girls had decided to give a relationship a shot and so far things had been working out quite well. Not much about their interaction had actually changed, they were still as physically affectionate with each other as ever, cuddling, hugging and holding hands whenever they could in fact the only difference was the addition of some kissing and so far one pretty heated make-out session.

They had been really lucky in the sense that Judy hadn't figured out the change to their relationship status yet, they had debated for hours about whether to tell her or not, eventually deciding against it their deciding factor being their desire to continue to share the same bed. They held no misconceptions that all was going to be a bed of roses when she eventually did find out, but they had decided to make the most of the time they had while they had it and to only worry about everything else as it arose.

Rachel was sitting in the passenger seat of Puck's truck, a content smile on her face as she looked out the window watching other people's entire lives pass her by, children playing on their lawns under the watchful eye of their mother, husbands surprising their families by coming home from work early, ladies hanging up the weeks laundry, a little girl getting a sore on her leg 'kissed better' by her dad after having fallen off her bicycle and the list went on and on. She wondered what people who drove past her in their car must have thought, did they make up a story about her life probably not because everybody was now very aware of who Rachel Berry was and what had happened in her life. But maybe somebody who didn't know her history somebody who was perhaps just visiting a family member or a friend, drove by her what would they think? Maybe they would see her with Quinn and Lucas maybe they would think they were a family how would that make them feel? Would they be happy about it or would it disgust them.

Puck decided to leave her with her thoughts because they appeared to be making her happy, but had been keeping a watchful eye on the diva, glancing at her intermittently as he drove. It was only when he noticed her content smile turn into something of a grimace that he decided to distract her from her thoughts which had clearly taken a turn towards the negative. He stretched across the centre console and flicked her leg, it had the desired effect as she turned her head towards him, a sheepish smile on her face, "I'm sorry, I guess I zoned out there for a second, huh?"

"A second?" Puck exclaimed with a cheeky grin, "That's the understatement of the century babe; you've been zoned out for a good 15 minutes. I thought I was going to need a marching band to bring you back to me for a minute there."

Rachel rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "And people say that I'm the dramatic one."

Puck shrugged hi s shoulders, "Well it's a known fact that people pick up traits from those they spend a lot of time with." He explained.

The brunette chuckled lightly, "Well then I fear for Lucas he spends far too much time with me, you and Quinn." She mused, a fond smile on her face at the thought of the small boy.

"What? Are you kidding me? A kid taking after the three of us that's a lethal combination babe." Puck answered with enthusiasm. He liked the thought of Lucas partly taking after him it made him feel good and worthwhile, it gave him a sense of purpose he wanted to be someone that Beth and now Lucas could look up to and be proud of.

Just talking about the blonde boy made him want to see the little guy, "Hey isn't he supposed to be coming to spend the weekend with you guys."

The brunette broke out into a beaming smile, after Lucas had started walking, the home had come to the realisation of just how beneficial his time with Rachel and everyone else had been to his development and overall wellbeing and had come to the decision to allow the family to take him for overnight visits as well. This weekend was to be the first time he spent the night at the Fabray house and to say she was excited would be an understatement. Judy had gone crazy baby proofing the house to make sure it was safe for him.

"Yeah, Quinn is actually stopping to pick him up on her way home." She stated softly, a fond smile on her lips at the mere thought of the blonde. Quinn was still at school attending Glee practice. It had become a topic of contention for the three of them; Rachel didn't want either one to leave over some misguided attempt to show their loyalty towards her. Quinn and Puck had reluctantly decided that one of them needed to stay in the club to keep an eye on the other members. After many arguments about which one should stay, neither of them wanting to, it was eventually decided the safer choice would be for Quinn to remain in the club because Puck would be more likely to lose control and kick all of their asses.

"That's cool Rach." Puck stated hesitantly, he wanted to ask he just didn't know how to without sounding like a big softie.

Rachel stared at the boy sitting across from her; she had been friends with him long enough to pretty much know exactly what he was thinking. She reached out and clasped his hand with hers, "You know you're welcome to come and see Lucas anytime you want? He loves spending time with you."

Puck cleared his throat, squeezing the brunette's hand, "Yeah, well maybe I'll come around later tonight to see the little dude." He answered with false nonchalance, trying to downplay just how much her open invitation meant to him and how excited he was to see Lucas again.

Rachel chuckled wryly at her best friend's response but refrained from teasing him, choosing rather to direct her attention to her window, enjoying the comfortable silence that settled between them. It took another minute or two before Noah pulled over across the road from the Fabray house, "Okay, so I'll see you later then?"

"Yip." Rachel replied as she climbed out of his truck, "Thanks for giving me a lift, I really appreciate it."

"Nah, don't mention it." He shrugged dismissively with a wave of his hand and then almost as if a switch had been flicked his face became somber and his tone serious, "You'll be okay here by yourself?"

The diva smiled sincerely at him, "I'll be fine Noah." She spoke softly, "Plus Rod is here so technically I'm not alone." She added pointing to the police car parked a few metres up the road. Puck breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the police car, he wasn't sure how he missed it when he pulled up, but that didn't matter all that mattered was that it was indeed here, making Puck feel a little less concerned about leaving her there on her own, "Okay well I'll see you guys later then?"

"You sure will Noah, bye." She stated, slamming his truck door. She waited until he was safely back on his way again before finally heading towards the house.

As she walked along the foot path towards the front door a strange sense of foreboding began to settle in, it was a feeling she hadn't experienced since that day. She paused for a moment looking over her shoulder at the police car, tempted to go and ask Rod to escourt her in. She quickly brushed that thought aside as she turned around and carried on up the path, she was just being silly, the only reason she was feeling unsure was because this was going to be the first time she was going to be truly alone in the Fabray house since 'the incident' and if she was being honest with herself she was a little scared. She nodded her head with determination and new resolve, "Yip, that's the only reason."

She mumbled doubtfully under her breath. As she began to ascend the porch steps she looked up at the door and froze instantly when she noticed it was slightly ajar. Her breathing became erratic as her mind involuntarily flashbacked to the last time she had seen a door like that. She was gasping for breath as the panic began to set. She wasn't in control anymore as her body, without any real conscious thought on her part, began to move towards the door on heavy legs.

She leant on the door pushing it open as she stumbled into the room, legs dragging heavily in behind her only managing to maintain her balance by grabbing onto the coat rack. The lack of oxygen entering her lungs as she continued to gasp for breath was beginning to take its toll, the room was spinning as she attempted to look around it, her chest throbbing in pain.

She bent over, arms resting heavily on her knees as she attempted to get air. It was only then that she noticed the shards of glass scattered around her feet. Her eyes widened in realisation, mind flashing back to coming through another front door to a shattered vase. She didn't know what was real anymore or even where she was, it was too similar it was all too similar. It was when she heard noises coming from the kitchen, the sounds of glasses breaking, pots clanking and cutlery being thrown that everything became too much, she sunk to the floor, her knees resting tightly against her chest, with her eyes clenched shut and her hands covering her ears she wanted it to be over she wanted it all to just stop.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when she felt someone rest a hand on her shoulder, she instinctively jerked back from the touch in fear, smacking her head against the wall as she did. Rod instantly pulled his hand away from the girl and held them up in front of him in a placating gesture, "Rachel, it's okay. It's just me I heard you screaming. Are you okay?" He questioned a hint of urgency in his voice, his hand firmly grasped on his holster.

"Kitchen." Rachel gasped out, still battling to breathe.

Rod gave one quick nod before quickly moving in the direction of the kitchen. The brunette stayed exactly where she was, she hadn't even realised she had been screaming. The last few minutes had passed in a blur for the little diva, and for a major portion of that time she wasn't even in the Fabray house but rather the Berry house on the day her fathers had been taken. It hadn't just been her remembering that moment, it had felt far to real to just been a memory it felt as if she was actually physically reliving those terrifying minutes.

Rod walked back into the room, kneeling down in front of the shaking girl, "Whoever it was is gone they left through the kitchen door. I put an alert out for all police to be on the lookout for anyone displaying suspicious behaviour within this vicinity and the sergeant has dispatched some back up units which should be here soon. We're going to catch this guy

Rachel, I promise." He winced slightly when he noticed the blood on the wall, clearly from when she smacked her head, "Come on, we've got to call the paramedic to come and look at you." He gently helped the almost catatonic girl up and over to a sofa in the living room before walking off to call the paramedic. Judy came barrelling through her front door, it had quite easily been one of the scariest moments of her life when she received a phone call from Detective Harding explaining what had happened. She had left work immediately and had broken quite possibly every traffic law in existence but she didn't care about that all she cared about was seeing Rachel. She scanned the room, eyes weaving between all the police men until they finally landed on the brunette, sitting on the sofa with the paramedic.

Judy quickly manoeuvred her way over to the girl and knelt down on the floor in front of her, "Rachel." She cooed softly picking her hand up to brush some hair off her face, "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

The brunette's eyes snapped back into focus upon hearing Judy's voice, she locked eyes with the woman and instantly the tears started to fall, she flung herself into the blonde's arms releasing all the emotion she had bottled up for the last 30 minutes. The older woman was more than willing to just let the petite diva sit in her arms and cry; she needed the contact just as much as Rachel did. She cooed reassurances into the girl's hair, dropping a kiss every now and then as she rocked her gently. It took several minutes for the crying to finally subside into a few hiccupped whimpers, Judy pulled back slightly grateful to see focused brown eyes studying her face. Using her thumbs she wiped the remaining tears off the young girl's face, "Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asked softly.

Rachel took a steadying breath, revelling in the comfort the older woman was offering, she nodded her head in response, "I'm okay " she murmured, "It it was just all too familiar, you know? It made me remember that that day." Judy furrowed her brow in confusion; there had been someone in the house with Rachel and the girl didn't even seem to be concerned about that it was almost like she seemed to have forgotten that aspect of the whole event. Judy nodded her head in support of the girl's response, "I know sweetheart, it must have been difficult to have been in that position again was there someone still in the house when you got here?"

Rachel furrowed her brow in thought; she had been so completely lost in memories in that moment that she had actually completely blocked out the fact that someone had been in the house with her, her eyes widened in panic as the realisation of how close she had been to her fathers' killer began to sink in of how close she had been to the person that may have wanted her dead, "I...I didn't even think about that. I...Oh my god he was right there! Oh my God!" she rambled, beginning to gasp for breath as another panic attack set in.

The blonde held the girl's face gently between her hands, making sure the girl was looking directly into her eyes, "It's okay sweetheart you're okay everything is okay." She murmured soothingly, "Just breathe sweetheart it's okay now you're safe, I've got you now .just breathe." She wrapped her arms around the girl, rocking her gently, breathing slow and deeply allowing the girl to copy her action.

"Alright buddy, we're nearly home." Quinn cooed, smiling widely through the rear view mirror at the little boy strapped into his car seat. She was just as excited as Rachel and her mom that Lucas was going to spend the weekend, it was always such a bittersweet moment for them all when they had to say good bye to him at the end of the day they still had to say good bye to him, except now it was only at the end of the weekend and that was a wonderful feeling.

She took the final turn that led to her house and the minute it came into her view her smile instantly turned into a frown, there were police cars parked in her yard and across the street. She couldn't shake the sinking feeling that something was very wrong, she looked in the rear view mirror to see Lucas sporting a frown that matched her own. The blonde stopped the car as close as she could get to the house before getting out and opening the back door to retrieve Lucas; it took several attempts to remove him from his car seat because she couldn't stop her hands from shaking long enough to unclip the buckle that was securing him. The minute she had him in her arms she took off in the direction of the house, not even bothering to shut any of her car doors or take any of their things with them. All she wanted to do was see Rachel and make sure that she was okay the girl literally meant everything to her and she wasn't sure what she would do if something had happened to her. She could feel Lucas clinging to her for dear life, she wasn't sure if he was feeding off her emotions or if he was experiencing his own, but whatever the reason she knew he was just as scared as she was.

She walked through her front door, eyes instantly scanning the room for the diva. She felt Lucas tugging on her shirt to get her attention and found that he was pointing towards the Living room. She looked in the direction he was pointing and breathed a sigh of relief when her gaze landed on her mother cradling the brunette diva in her arms.

"Rachel!" Quinn called, making her way quickly into the room and towards the diva. Rachel looked up at the sound of her name and couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face at the sight of her two favourite people walking towards her. She untangled herself from Judy and stood up on wobbly legs, slowly walking towards them.

The minute the diva was within reach, she found herself wrapped up in Quinn's arms, the familiar scent of the blonde helping to soothe all the worries and concerns that had been plaguing her, without even considering the consequences she placed a kiss to the blonde's neck before nuzzling her nose there, "Hey" she murmured, breathing deeply, enjoying the calming effect the blonde's scent had on her.

"Hey." Quinn whispered in response, running her fingers through the brunette's hair, frowning when she felt a plaster on the back of the girl's hair, "What happened Rach?" she asked in concern.

"There was someone in the house when I got home." She responded, running her hand down the side of Lucas' face, smiling at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, "I'm not actually sure what all happened I was a little bit out of it but if I am to understand correctly, he left pretty much as soon as I arrived."

The blonde didn't quite know what to make of the girl's response she didn't understand what she meant by 'a little bit out of it', but she also understood that it had been a really hard day for the brunette and pestering her about what happened probably wasn't the best idea. She pulled the girl tighter against her, dropping a kiss to her forehead and then her cheek, "I'm really glad you're okay, Rach when I saw all the police cars I was so scared." She murmured into the brunette's hair.

Rachel lifted her head slightly so she was looking directly into the blonde's eyes, "I'm okay Quinn so no more negative thoughts, Okay? Thinking about all the 'what if's' doesn't do anyone any good, Okay?" She stated soothingly, running the back of her hand down the blonde's cheek before resting her forehead against the other girl's chin.

Quinn tilted her head down slightly so that her lips were resting against the brunette's forehead in a lingering kiss, "Okay "she murmured into the girl's skin, "but I think it's only fair you know that I am never leaving your side again."

The diva chuckled lightly, it felt good to laugh after everything that had happened today, "I had a feeling you might be inclined to act in such a manner."

"I'm serious Rach this happened the first time you were alone, I won't risk it happening again therefore I am never leaving you alone." The blonde stated in absolute seriousness.

Rachel sighed resignedly, "Quinn, you know this wasn't your fault right It wasn't some big plan to catch me alone it was just luck of the draw that they picked a day I was here on my own. It could have just as easily been a day when you were with me and quite frankly I'm glad it wasn't."

Quinn nuzzled her head against Rachel's, her mouth resting by the other girl's ear, "I don't want to lose you Rach I've only just found you. Just like you want to protect me from every bad thing that exists, I want to do the same for you." She pulled back slightly so she was looking the girl directly in the eye, "So, unfortunately for you this isn't really up for discussion you're stuck with me 24 hours a day from now on so you're just going to have to deal with it."

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully, turning her attention to Lucas, "What do you say Luke. Do you think I should have to deal with Quinn for 24 hours a day?" It really wasn't much of a hardship for her, she would love to spend all day, every day with the blonde she just wanted to include Lucas in the conversation, and frankly she was a little bit curious as to what his thoughts would be.

Lucas nodded his head emphatically causing both Quinn and Rachel to laugh quietly. Quinn slapped high five with the little boy before turning her attention back to the diva, "There, you see both blonde's have spoken. You're stuck with me."

Rachel wrapped her arms around the both of them, resting her head in the crook of the blonde's neck, "I'm remarkably okay with that actually." She murmured, feeling completely safe and content for the first time that day. Judy watched the girls interact for a while before deciding to find Detective Harding to see if any progress had been made. She walked over to the man in question and when she noticed who he was talking too she felt her blood begin to boil.

"How dare you think it would be alright for you to still be here I want you gone!" she seethed.

"Mrs. Fabray " Detective Harding began.

"No detective " Judy stated, "He had one job to do and that was to protect Rachel, and he failed at that putting her life in danger .No, I want him gone and I want him gone now."

"Mrs. Fabray, I am so very sorry for what happened. It was completely my fault and I take full responsibility for my actions." Rod stated remorsefully.

Judy was so focussed on the policeman that she hadn't noticed that Quinn, Rachel and Lucas were now standing directly behind her, Quinn and Lucas both glaring at the man in a mix of anger and disappointment. "Where were you anyway? Surely if you were in your car you would have seen the person breaking in?" Judy asked, voice dangerously low as she fought for composure.

Rod looked down at the floor in guilt, "I had taken a walk down the road to the gas station to grab some food. I figured since there was nobody at home it would be alright." He looked up and locked eyes with the oldest Fabray woman, "I realise it was a severe lapse in judgment and I swear it will never happen again."

"You are damn right it will never happen again. Your lapse in judgment almost cost Rachel her life and I won't stand for that." Judy turned her attention to the Detective standing next to her, "I want him gone, please could you organise us another police escourt from now on?"

"Judy, it's alright .he didn't mean any harm."

Judy spun around to face the two girls and Lucas, directing a stern glare at the brunette, "This isn't up for discussion young lady. He put you in harm's way and I won't stand for that. My decision on this matter is final Do you all understand that?" she stated firmly, staring intently at all three of them. All three of them stared at her for a moment before directing their gazes at each other as if to confer with one another. They finally directed their gazes back at the woman and nodded their heads.

Judy nodded her acknowledgement and turned her attention back to the Detective with a raised eyebrow waiting for his answer. Detective Harding took one look at the woman's face ad nodded his head, acquiescing to her request for a new police man. He frowned in sympathy when he turned back to Rod and took in how sad and defeated he looked, "I just have a few more questions for you and then you can take your leave."Detective Harding stated.

Rod nodded his head, locking eyes with the detective, "I'll do what I can to help."

"What happened when you came back from the gas station?" Detective Harding questioned, pen and paper at the ready.

"Well as I made my way back to my car, I noticed that the front door was open I didn't really think anything of it because I knew that Rachel was due to arrive home so I just assumed it was her. It was only when I was seated back in my car and I heard her begin screaming that I knew something was wrong the minute I realised, I was out of my car and in the house." Rod explained.

"Could you give me a time frame?" The detective asked.

"It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes from the time I had seen that the door was open to the time I heard the scream."

Detective Harding looked towards Rachel, who was still snuggled into Quinn's side, to corroborate the story. Rachel took Lucas' hand in her own, needing his support as well as Quinn's she honestly could not remember much of anything; it was all a big blur for her. In her mind it could have been 5 minutes it might have been 20, she honestly had no idea. "I wish I could help, but I don't remember much of anything let alone a timeframe I'm really sorry."

The Detective gave her a small sincere smile, he had wanted to see if perhaps she could remember something, but didn't want her to feel guilty that she couldn't, "It's okay Rachel, no one expects you to be able to remember it was traumatic for you and we understand that." He turned his attention back to Rod, "Just one more question and you can be on your way Did you manage to see him?"

"No he was already gone by the time I got to the kitchen I'm assuming Rachel screaming scared him off." Rod explained.

The Detective nodded, "Well thank you for your assistance, I will see you when I get back to the station." He shook the man's hand and allowed him to take his leave. He turned his attention back to the group of ladies and one small baby when he noticed one of the officers walking towards them with a grim look on his face. "What have you found?" He asked the man approaching them.

"Not so much what we found sir as whom we found, walking about 3 blocks away from here." The officer explained.

"Well, who was it then?" Detective Harding asked, trying to withhold his own excitement. They had been waiting for over a month to make a break in this case and this could very much be what they had been waiting for.

He eyed the ladies standing behind the Detective warily before directing his attention back to the man, "It's Russell Fabray, Sir."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Alright guys, here is the next chapter...I hope you all enjoy it. Sorry it took a little longer than usual, I recently started uni again and now I am starting work...so time is a little limited at the moment, but I promise this story will be finished and I will endevour to publish at least one chapter a week. Again thank you all so much for the reviews, I am really glad you are all enjoying this. Let me know what you think about this chapter, I really appreciate any and all feedback._

_All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's Characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them for a while._

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_**Chapter 7** _

 

Rachel was lying on her back on Quinn's bed with Lucas lying on her chest, said blonde lying next to her. It had been 2 hours since they had found out about Russell, they still had no idea if he was even involved or not, just that he happened to be three blocks from the house. Judy had gone with Detective Harding to the police station and had promised to keep them updated.

Even with the limited information at their disposal it had become clear to the brunette that the cheerleader had already come to her own conclusions about her father's involvement. Sure the thought had crossed her mind that he had been the one in the house or that he had been the one to to end her fathers' lives. I mean he was a known homophobe and it had been a hate crime it was a very likely possibility, but she had been trying to withhold her judgement until they knew for sure she didn't want for it to be him it would be so much easier if it wasn't.

She turned her head to the left to look at the blonde who was currently staring intently at the ceiling, clearly lost deep in thought. She hadn't said so much as two words to her since they had found out about Russell's possible involvement; it was almost like the girl was blaming herself for what her father might have done.

Rachel desperately wanted to ease her guilt to tell her that she didn't blame her or Judy at all for what happened even if Russell was involved, but every time she tried the blonde would change the subject or leave the room. She didn't like the distance that currently existed between the two of them and she couldn't help but think it was just going to keep growing if she didn't step up and do something about it now.

Lucas pushed up on her chest drawing her attention away from Quinn and to him. She couldn't help the smile that broke out onto her face when she looked up into inquisitive brown eyes staring down at her.

"Hey there buddy." She cooed, running her hands up and down his small back in a soothing manner, "Look at the muscles in these arms." She added, giving his little biceps a gentle squeeze, "No other baby your age has muscles like you, huh?"

He shook his head, "Nah, Ma." Rachel froze, staring in complete shock at the little boy. He had just said his first words and she was so proud of him, but another emotion was currently overpowering all others fear, she was scared because had he just did he just?

"Did he just?" Quinn asked, finally making her presence known. She had spent most of the afternoon trying to come to terms with the guilt and the blame she felt for her father's possible involvement in Rachel's dads' deaths. It felt like something straight out of a Shakespeare novel, how could their relationship possibly survive this kind of obstacle. She had been quite satisfied to lie quietly and wallow in her own guilt, she didn't want Rachel to have to relive everything that had happened again it was just better for the brunette if she kept all her thoughts and feelings to herself if she kept her distance for the time being. She felt that her plan had worked beautifully up until this point, but she could not possibly ignore what had just happened. Lucas had just said his first words and he had just called Rachel his his

"Yip." Rachel replied with a nod of her head, eyes still locked with Lucas', "He just said his first words."

"Did he just refer to you as "

"Yip." Rachel stated quickly, interrupting the blonde before she could say the word. She had no idea how she felt about the term of endearment, her heart swelled with such love when he said it, but she just couldn't shake the apprehension and fear she was feeling as well, she didn't know how this was going to change things were they going to take him away from her now because they had gotten to close. She couldn't adopt him, she was too young she just didn't know what to do or what was going to happen.

"Wow." The blonde exhaled in a combination of shock and awe.

Lucas bunched Rachel's shirt in his fists, "Ma." He exclaimed again.

Rachel smiled hesitantly at the boy, running her hands through his hair and down his back, "Hi." She murmured, she wanted nothing more than to embrace the term completely to be his mother, but she just couldn't forget about all the possible consequences if she was to do that.

Lucas now satisfied by her acknowledgement, lowered himself back down on her chest, his arms relaxing by her sides completely content to stay in his current position.

Rachel laid her hand gently on his back to make sure he didn't roll off her and hurt himself when he inevitably feel asleep, before turning her attention to the blonde who was staring at the two of them with a loving smile on her face, "This isn't good." She whispered quietly, she wasn't worried about waking the boy from his slumber knowing very well that he most likely wasn't sleeping yet, No she was worried about offending him. The thought may have seemed ludicrous to others but she was aware of exactly how intelligent he was of exactly how much he understood, she didn't want him to think that she didn't want him.

Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion, reaching over and clasping one of the diva's hands resting on Lucas' back, "What makes you say that?"

"I'm too young to be his mom Quinn. Don't get me wrong, I really really want the job, I just don't think the people in charge will let me have it  and when they find out about this I'm I'm just scared they'll take him away." Rachel murmured voice cracking as the tears began to fall.

"Hey now come on." The blonde chastised softly, crawling over so that she was leaning over both Rachel and Lucas.

She placed a gentle kiss on the blonde boy's head before dropping a chaste kiss to the diva's lips, "We won't let that happen we all love Lucas too much to let him get taken from us, Okay?"

The brunette looked up at the blonde hovering above her, her breath hitching at the amount of love and promise she could see reflected in her hazel eyes. There were a lot of things she was still unsure of in her life, but her belief in Quinn was not one of them her feelings for Quinn was not one of them. If Quinn believed that everything would be okay, then she believed it too. She exhaled slowly and nodded her head, "Okay."

The diva dropped a kiss to the little boy's head, "So do you think I'm ready to be a mom." She asked hesitantly, chocolate finding hazel once more.

"I think " Quinn stated softly, placing another kiss to the brunette's lips, "that you are already a mom Lucas has chosen you to fill that role. You just have to keep doing what you're doing and everything will be fine."

The brunette bought their clasped hands to her lips, gently kissing the blonde's knuckles, "Thank you." She murmured against the cheerleader's hand.

"It's no problem baby." Quinn said warmly, a small smile on her face at the feeling of Rachel's lips on her hand.

Rachel nodded her head, unclasping her hand from the blonde's. She stood up from the bed, careful not to jostle the slumbering baby. She slowly walked over to the play pen and lowered Lucas gently in to it, covering him with a blanket. She watched him sleep for a moment before making her way back to the bed and snuggling up to the blonde. She wrapped her arms around the other girl and rested her head on her chest, "So are we going to talk about it?" she stated softly.

Quinn sighed tiredly, it had been a long day and she really didn't want to talk about this yet if at all, "Rachel, can we just "

"Quinn." Rachel interrupted, "There is something I need to say and then we can drop this topic never to be spoken about again. All I need is for you to listen." When the blonde nodded her confirmation she continued, "What your father did or did not do does not in any way change how I think or feel about you or Judy." She rolled over so that she was partially lying on top of the blonde, staring down at her, "You are an amazing person, one of the most caring and loving people I have ever met. You are nothing like your father and you are in no way responsible for what he may or may not have done."

Quinn stared into the warm brown eyes of the woman she was sure she was falling head over heels in love with and felt the guilt that had been plaguing her since she had found out about her dad begin to wane and dissipate. She wrapped her arms around the girl and used her hips to flip them over so that she was now hovering over the other girl, "You're perfect, you know that." She stated, softly running her hand through Rachel's hair, "Absolutely perfect."

Rachel leant up slightly connecting her lips with the blonde's, there were no words available to express all that she wanted to to Quinn in that moment but what words could not express physical intimacy could resulting in the beginning of a very heated make-out session.

Judy was standing in the observation room with Detective Harding. The two had been watching Russell sitting in the interrogation room for the last 30 minutes. The plan had been to make him wait, hopefully increase his anxiety levels so that when they finally did enter the room to question him he would snap and confess to everything however it didn't seem to be working as he did not seem anxious in the slightest, if anything he seemed a little smug.

"Are you okay?" Detective Harding questioned, eyes still locked on Russell through the two way mirror.

Judy turned her attention to the Detective, "I'm fine, the only thing that ties me to that man "she stated, pointing her finger at Russell through the mirror, "is my children and I will forever be grateful to him for them but he is truly a horrible man and if he was involved in the Berry's deaths then he deserves to be in prison." She turned her attention back to the mirror, focussing on her ex husband, "That doesn't change the fact that I still hope it wasn't him though, simply because things with Rachel would become so much more complicated if he was responsible for her fathers' deaths."

The detective nodded his head in understanding, his eyes still focussed on Russell through the two-way mirror. He had never been any good at providing support and comfort; it was the one part of his job that he failed spectacularly at. He just never knew the appropriate thing to say and he wasn't a particularly tactile person so he failed hopelessly at offering any kind of physical support as well. He always felt so awkward in these types of situations and this current situation was no exception. He wanted to offer Judy words of support or place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but it all seemed so inappropriate and misplaced, so he prayed his physical presence was enough.

The two stood in complete silence for a few more minutes. Judy knew he was only trying to help, but she could feel how uncomfortable he was which just served to make her feel uncomfortable so she decided to put an end to both of their suffering, "Do you think you could go In there now and question him please you know, put me out of my misery."

Detective Harding gave a short nod and walked into the interrogation room, relieved to move from an awkward situation to one that he found so much more comfortable.

"Russell." He greeted as he took his seat.

"Detective, how good of you to finally join me." Russell mused, arms crossed over his chest as he rocked onto the back legs of his chair, a smug smile gracing his features.

The Detective ignored the not so subtle jibe about making him wait and carried on with his questioning, "I see you have chosen not to inform your lawyer about this questioning."

Russell eyed him carefully before slowly lowering himself back onto all four legs of his chair, "No, I did not inform him about this meeting. He does not need to be present today as I have nothing to hide. Ask me the questions you have and I will answer them honestly and to the best of my ability." He answered calmly, faÃ§ade of indifference in place.

Detective Harding leaned back in his chair and stared at Russell intently, he didn't know what game he was playing or if he was playing one at all but he was willing to go along with it for now, "Okay, well let's start simple then were you in the Fabray house earlier today?"

"Well I wouldn't call that simple. Straight to the point yes, but definitely not simple." Russell stated calmly, "But the answer to that question is No, I was not in the house earlier today."

"Well then can you please explain to me why you were three blocks from your house?" Detective Harding questioned.

Russell wriggled in his seat slightly, the only indication that the question made him slightly uncomfortable, "I had an appointment."

The detective leaned forward resting his elbows on the table, very intrigued by the vagueness of the answer he was given, "Okay, then I take it the person you had the appointment with would be willing to corroborate your story?"

Russell shifted in his chair again, "No they couldn't." He stated, becoming more flustered as the questioning went on, "I was on my way to the appointment when I was picked up."

The detective smirked lightly, he had Russell up against the ropes and it was a really good feeling, "Oh? Okay  well then could you give me their name and phone number so I can at least call and confirm you had an appointment today?"

Russell finally dropped the faÃ§ade letting his true colours shine through, "What game are you playing at?" he snarled. The detective laughed lightly, loving the fact that he had turned Russell's own game, whatever it was, against him. He believed Russell wasn't in the house earlier today, but he couldn't shake the idea that he knew something about what happened to Rachel's dads and he wasn't going to leave this room until he figured out what it was, "Well, well, well Hello Russell, it's nice of you to finally join us."

He saw Russell clench his fists and knew he now had the upper hand, the man was up against the ropes and that was right where he wanted him, "Look I know exactly what kind of appointment you had earlier today Russell." He enunciated, looking directly into Russell's eyes to convey exactly how serious he was about his statement, "therefore I know you couldn't possibly have been in the house." When he saw Russell begin to relax into a false sense of security he decided to deliver the final blow, "I am however convinced you know something about the Berry men's murders."

Russell smirked, leaning back in his chair again, "That is a complete shot in the dark, if you had any evidence to support such claims I would have been bought in a long time ago."

The detective mimicked Russell's motions, leaning back in his chair, "You are absolutely right, we don't have any evidence to support my claims." He leant forward again, arms resting on the desk, "All I have is my own intuition and it hasn't led me wrong yet."

Russell now leant forward in his chair, resting his arms on the desk, getting right up into the Detective's face, "Well Detective intuition won't stand up in court."

"That may be true but I feel like telling you my theory anyway." He leant back in his chair, rocking onto the back legs, "You are one of this area's most well known homophobes. Your dislike of the Berry's is common knowledge around Lima, in fact I believe you to be the main instigator in most if not all of the previous attempts to get them to leave town. I find it very hard to believe that you would know absolutely nothing about the hate crime committed against them, whether you were a part of it or not."

"That is a very interesting theory detective but with no proof, you have no crime." Russell explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Now, now Russell I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this." The detective stood up, walked around the table and leant over Russell, "I would hate for your church to find out about your weekly visits to the hooker." He whispered so that the microphones around the room could not pick up what he was saying, "If I'm not mistaken you already have two strikes against your name in their eyes: Divorce and teenage pregnancy I'm pretty sure seeing a hooker would be strike 3.

What do you think would happen if you hit strike 3?" He turned and walked back towards his chair, "Personally my money is on you being banished from the community What do you think?"

"Are you black mailing me?" He asked, completely enraged by what had just taken place.

The detective leant on the desk, staring directly into Russell's eyes, "No proof, no crime." He stated throwing the other man's words back in his face. "Now I will ask again do you know anything about the crime committed against the Berry's?"

Russell stared angrily at the man; there was nothing he hated more than being pushed into a corner which is exactly where he found himself now. If he remained silent he had no doubt that the Detective would air all his dirty laundry for the entire neighbourhood completely destroying what standing he had left, so the only choice he had left was to tell him what he knew. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and began rifling through it, it took him a few seconds but finally he found what he was looking for, "A man approached me about a week before the Berry's were murdered. I was standing in the middle of the frozen food aisle at the supermarket when he approached me and gave me this card." He handed the card to the detective, "He didn't give me any details, all he said was that a group of people were planning on forcibly getting rid of the Berry's and that they thought I might want to be involved. I didn't get a name all I got was that card with a number on and was told I should call it if I was interested in helping."

Russell leant forward in his chair and locked eyes with the detective, "Look detective as you have previously stated my dislike of the Berry's choice of lifestyle was common knowledge. I did not agree with how they were choosing to live and I did not want my children exposed to that, so yes, I did use various methods to try to persuade them to leave. But I never, not once tried to force them to do anything it was always their choice. Yes if they chose to stay I made life really difficult for them to try to get them to change their mind, but I did not force them to do anything." He leant back in his chair, "Which is why I never called that number the minute the guy, who I had never seen before in my life, used the word forcibly I refused to be a part of it."

Detective Harding stared at him for a moment, before looking down at the card, "How come you haven't bought this to the police yet?"

"For all the reasons you pointed out, I knew how it would look and I didn't want to be wrongfully accused." Russell explained.

Detective Harding chuckled wryly, "A lot of good that did, considering you are still being accused I'll hold off on the wrongfully until I have followed up on this lead and have evidence that you in fact did not make the call." He stood up straight and began walking towards the door, "Until that time, you are free to go, but stay in the area in case we need to bring you in for more questioning."

Puck stood on the front porch of the Fabray house waiting for someone to come and let him in. Ever since Quinn had called and told him what had happened he had wanted to see the little diva but he had had to wait for his mother to arrive home from work before he could as he was babysitting his sister and there was no one else available to watch her on such short notice.

After a few more minutes of waiting it became clear that no one was coming to let him in. He looked around carefully to make sure no one was watching him before he crouched down and removed a slat from the porch, retrieving the spare key that Rachel had told him about not to long after she had moved in only to be used in cases of emergency though.

Well he considered this an emergency, he had come all this way to see his Jew babe and he wasn't about to leave before he did. He opened the door and walked into the house, closing and locking it again behind him.

He knew he wasn't technically supposed to go upstairs, but after a careful investigation of the lower level of the house he realised that the girls were not there, therefore if he wanted to see them which he did he would have to venture upstairs. An added advantage being that Judy did not appear to be home, so he figured as long as he was downstairs by the time she arrived home there would be no harm done.

With his new resolve in place he slowly ascended the stairs and began to make his way down the hall to Quinn's room, knowing that it was very likely that the girls would be in there. The guilt he felt for leaving Rachel on her own, especially now after he found out about everything that went down, was eating him alive. He needed to apologise he needed her forgiveness.

He opened the door without knocking and walked into the room, "Rach, I wan .Woah!" he exclaimed, a smirk forming on his lips at the sight in front of him.

"Puck!" Quinn yelled from her knew spot on the floor having fallen there in her haste to get off of the diva when the door opened, her cheerio's shirt clutched firmly in her hand against her chest, "Haven't you heard of knocking!"

Puck continued to smirk, his arms crossed over his chest, "Well I didn't expect to see that when I opened the door."

Rachel blushed a scarlet red, which was exceptionally difficult considering how tanned she was, a pillow clutched firmly to her chest. The girls' make-out session had definitely progressed into unexplored territory with both girls losing their tops and Rachel her bra she was actually a little pissed that Puck had walked in before she could relieve Quinn of her bra that would have been lovely.

She looked down at the blonde, who was staring up at her from the floor; her face tinged a reddish hue from her own blush. It was when she noticed the cheerio's shirt clutched against the blonde's chest that the reality of the situation came crashing down accompanied by an unexplainable feeling of jealousy, she did not like the idea of Puck staring at her partially undressed girlfriend, especially considering everything that had happened between the two of them. She turned her glare to the boy standing by the door, "Could you turn around while we make ourselves presentable." She hissed.

"I don't know Rach. This is "

"Noah!" she exclaimed, "Turn around now." She stated slowly, her voice dangerously low.

Puck took in the look in the diva's eyes and knew the moment for teasing had passed she looked nothing short of pissed. He swallowed thickly and nodded his head as he turned around to face the door.

Rachel helped Quinn back onto the bed and they silently got redressed, the blonde doing up the diva's buttons on her shirt as said girl stared daggers at the back of Puck's head. Once both were appropriately dressed again, the blonde leant forward and placed a kiss on the brunette's lips hoping to soothe her worries. With everything that had been going on, she didn't even consider how difficult it might have been for Rachel to have her girlfriend and her best friend have the sort of history that her and Noah had. This was the first time the brunette had ever displayed any sort of discomfort with what had happened between her and Puck and it wasn't even like she had said anything, it was just her intuition that told her that was the reason for her sudden attitude towards Noah. It was definitely something they were going to have to talk about.

Rachel looked at her girlfriend, managing to give her a small smile. The day had been long enough without her other insecurities rearing their ugly head. This really was the first time that she had felt any sort of negativity about Quinn and Puck's past, apparently it had been so suppressed that even she wasn't aware of it, until that is she had seen Noah leering at her girlfriend and it was like a switch had been flicked and all these feelings she had been unaware of made themselves known. She looked over at the boy who was still facing the door and cleared her throat indicating that it was now safe for him to turn around, which he duly did.

"So " he stated, gesturing between the two girls' as he slowly approach the bed, "When did this happen?"

Quinn put her arms around the brunette's waist and pulled her until she was sitting snugly between her legs, the girl's head resting on her chest, "It's been about 2 weeks." She mumbled, dropping a kiss to the diva's head. Puck nodded his head in understanding, "I'm happy for you guys. I honestly don't know two people who are more deserving of happiness than you two."

Rachel gave him a small smile; it really wasn't his fault that she had all of a sudden developed insecurities about his past with Quinn. He honestly appeared to be happy for them and he was her best friend and in her eyes that trumped everything else, her insecurities included. She leant forward and clasped his hand with hers, "Thanks Noah. That really means a lot."

He squeezed her hand back, "I I am so sorry for leaving you here by yourself earlier Rach. If I had stayed none of this would have happened I would have kicked the dude's ass. No one messes with my Jew babe." He stated softly, staring down at their clasped hands. Rachel couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her, "Seriously you are not to blame for what happened. You have nothing to apologise for, what happened wasn't your fault."

She looked back and forth between Puck and Quinn, "You two are like the biggest martyr's I know, taking the blame for actions committed by others and for situations you had no idea about or any control over. Seriously, I don't blame you guys for any of it so stop blaming yourselves, Okay?"

Both nodded their heads, Puck squeezing her hand and Quinn kissing her head.

"Good." The diva stated, "Now let's all put it behind us and move on."

"Sounds good." Puck said, sighing in relief now that all the mushy stuff was over, "So what else "

"Ma." Lucas called from the play pen, interrupting Puck.

Puck looked at the play pen and then back at the girls with a look of complete shock on his face, "When did that happen?"

Rachel stood up from the bed, walked to the play pen and picked Lucas up before making her way back to the bed to reclaim her position between Quinn's legs, Lucas cradled securely against her chest, "That happened about an hour before you arrived." She stated, staring lovingly at the little boy who had wiggled out of her arms and was finding amusement in tapping a beat on Quinn's legs.

"And the whole " Puck gestured at the boy and then at Rachel hoping to convey his point.

"Yeah, we aren't actually sure what's going to happen about that." Quinn stated, "But one thing we do know is that no matter what people think or try to do, we are not letting them take Lucas away from us away from any of us." She emphasised her point by staring at Puck, letting him know he was included in that 'us' she was mentioning.

Puck sat about a little straighter, a genuine wide smile on his lips, "Agreed, no way in hell they are taking him from us."

He leant forward and put his hand out in front of Lucas, the little boy staring at it for a moment before laughing happily and smacking his hand against Puck's in a high five, "Good job on the speaking for the first time buddy won't be long til you're dropping those pick up lines like your Uncle Puck. The girls will be queuing to get a date with you." Puck cooed to the little boy.

Rachel and Quinn glared at Puck, the blonde stretching around Rachel to wrap her arms around Lucas, picking him up and placing him in Rachel's lap, "There will be no talk about Pick-up lines and girls until he is at least in high school."

Puck picked up his arms in a placating gesture, not wanting to get on the bad side of the two mama bears. Rachel, satisfied with his temporary surrender, placed a kiss on the blonde boy's head before turning her attention to the two other teenagers in the room, "I think we should head downstairs before Judy comes home we don't want her to castrate Puck now do we."

Puck instantly flew off the bed, his hand covering the crotch of his jeans, "We most definitely do not want that to happen definitely not." He stated hastily before turning and leaving the room.

Both girls chuckled lightly at his actions before getting of the bed and walking out the room to join him downstairs, Lucas in tow. Judy arrived home about 20 minutes later and explained the whole situation to the teenagers. To say that everyone was relieved that it did not appear as if Russell had any involvement in her fathers' deaths was an understatement, if Judy hadn't been in the room Rachel was pretty sure Quinn would have kissed her senseless not that she's complaining, she wanted to kiss the blonde just as much.

Judy had left to go and start dinner, Lucas toddling behind her into the kitchen, he loved Judy and he hadn't seen her all day so it made sense that he would want to spend some time with her.

"So what do you guys want to do while we wait for dinner." Rachel stated from her position on the love seat next to Quinn. Puck shrugged his shoulders, "we could channel surf see if anything catches our eye."

"That sounds like as good a plan as any." Quinn stated softly, her hand gently massaging the back of the diva's neck.

Puck grabbed the remote before returning to his position leaning heavily against the love seat. Just as he was about to turn the TV on Judy came back into the room, Lucas sitting comfortable on her hip, "Does anyone care to explain to me why Lucas just called me granny?"


	8. Chapter 8

_ A/N:Alright guys, here is the next part. I am so sorry I have made you wait two weeks for this, I give you all permission to hit me...or just chastise me in a review or something ;). This chapter focuses more on the Lucas situation, Glee and the girls relationship...the case shall return in the next one. I really have no idea how the foster system works, so everything mentioned in this chapter comes from my own imagination...let me know if you think it is believable or not :) _

_ Thank you so much for all those who are reviewing, alerting and favouriting this story, it means so much that you guys are reading this and enjoying it :). Leave a review and let me know what you think, whether it is good or bad or even if you just have a suggestion that you think would make this story better...I am willing to take any advice you may have to give. _

_ All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance. _

_ Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them for a while. _

* * *

**_Chapter 8_ **

 

The Monday following Lucas' acknowledgement found Judy taking off work to attend a meeting with Danni to try to find a suitable conclusion to this new development.

She had decided to make the appointment for while the girls were at school, her reasoning being that the meeting would most likely go more smoothly without the girls' emotions getting in the way. That's not to say that she wasn't as emotionally invested in Lucas as they were she was absolutely invested in Lucas and what happened to him, but she felt that as an adult she would have better control over emotions and therefore would be able to remain objective, whether the information she received was good or bad.

Danni was sitting opposite Judy, arms resting on her desk, lips pursed. She had been shocked when Judy had called to arrange the meeting, but now that the other woman had explained what had happened she completely understood why she felt it was necessary she just wasn't sure how to approach the situation, or what she was supposed to do about it.

"Wow " Danni whispered.

"I know." Judy responded.

"Well what would you like to do?" Danni asked, "I mean, how can I help?"

"Well " Judy began, ringing her hands in her lap, "I have thought carefully about this all weekend and I think fostering Lucas on a more permanent basis would be the best for all parties involved, but I would like your advice as a professional on whether you think it is a good idea or not?"

Danni leaned back in her chair; exhaling loudly this was one complicated situation. She stared intently at Judy for a moment as she composed her thoughts before finally broaching the subject, "Well, there is absolutely no doubt about the positive influence that Rachel and your family have had on his development which would definitely work in your favour if you were to decide to take the step in fostering Lucas on a more permanent basis."

Danni watched as Judy's face broke out into a smile of relief and felt absolutely horrible that she was about to ruin her current mood but she felt it was absolutely important for the other woman to know all the facts, both positive and negative, surrounding the situation, "However that being said, there are also several factors that are working against you as well."

Judy smile fell as her brow furrowed in confusion, "What would those be?"

"The first and most obvious one would be the ongoing murder case surrounding Rachel and thus your family." She locked eyes with Judy to ensure the woman was following everything she was being told.

"But we've already been fostering Lucas on a day to day basis while the case has been carried out in fact us fostering him was almost a by product of the situation with the Berry men, it never would have happened if the situation never happened." Judy explained, completely confused as to why it would now suddenly be a problem.

"Yes " Danni stated carefully, "that may indeed be the case but letting him visit you at your home for a few days at a time is completely different to leaving him in that type of situation on a permanent basis."

Judy exhaled slowly, nodding her head in understanding, "What else?" she asked; almost fearful of the answer she was going to receive.

Danni cringed internally, knowing full well that what she was about to say was likely going to hurt the woman that in any other situation she would have happily considered a friend, "When one looks to foster a child indefinitely there are several in depth checks that are conducted." When Judy nodded her head in understanding she continued, "Judy you don't exactly have the most flattering past."

"What do you mean?" she responded.

She really hated that she was about to throw what Judy had told her about her past back in her face, but she needed her to understand what types of information might be bought up as evidence in support of why she would be an unsuitable guardian to Lucas, "Well there is your history of alcohol abuse if you attended just one Alcohol Anonymous meeting, they will know about it."

Judy looked shocked but nodded for her to continue. "Then there is Beth and everything surrounding her." Judy's eyes snapped up to the woman, "What about Beth?"

"Judy " Danni sighed, "She would be almost exactly the same age as Lucas, she was your own flesh and blood and yet you still gave her up for adoption. If you couldn't keep your own biological granddaughter approximately a year ago, why should they believe that you can care for a child, the same age as Beth, who is a virtual stranger to you?" she explained as calmly as possible.

"But it was a completely different situation with a completely different set of circumstances." Judy stated resolutely, her voice rising in indignation.

"I know that Judy " Danni stated soothingly, "and you know that but they don't."

She stood up and walked around her desk, so that she was standing directly in front of the seated woman. She leant back against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest, "What you need to decide now is if you think this is all worth having your past and all the painful memories associated with it rehashed by a group of people whose only real job is to judge your worth and value as a person to determine if you are good enough in their eyes to be Lucas' guardian."

Judy sat for a few moments lost in thought, grateful that Danni wasn't pushing her to talk. She knew Lucas was important to Rachel and vice versa hell, he was important to all of them, but what was really wrong with what they were doing now? I mean it was working, everyone was happy and no painful memories from the past had to be recalled memories that wouldn't only hurt her, but Quinn and begrudgingly Puck as well. It was a difficult situation and she needed to obtain more information about it before an appropriate solution could be reached. "What is going to happen when the home finds out about the extent of Lucas' attachment to Rachel if we don't decide to foster him indefinitely?"

"Well " Danni began, "If you have no intention to further your involvement in his life, the home would most likely decide that the best solution for Lucas would be to break all ties to Rachel before he becomes more attached than he already is."

"So they would forcibly end their relationship?" Judy questioned for further clarification.

"That would be their most likely solution to their perceived problem, yes." Danni responded. Her heart broke as Judy dropped her head in something akin to defeat; it truly was a horrible situation that she would wish upon no one. She knelt down next to the other woman's chair and took her hand gently, "Look the only advice I can give you is just to think about it carefully okay? Talk to the girls about it, because even though I know you are only trying to protect them, they will be just as affected by the outcome and therefore may like a say in what is decided. Ultimately, do what you need to do to come to a decision, but rest assured that no matter what you decide I will support you and help you in whatever way I can."

Judy gave the woman a tired, conflicted smile she had a lot to think about. "Hey Rach," Quinn murmured softly as she walked up behind the brunette who was standing by her locker. She leant against the locker adjacent to the diva's and placed her hand on her lower back, almost resting it on the curve of her ass.

To all the students milling in the hallway it merely looked like the girls being their usual affectionate self they could not see anything romantic about the action, however the feeling the simple action generated within Rachel's body definitely made the action seem far more intimate to her.

"I've been thinking about you all day," Quinn whispered, a smirk gracing her features when she saw the diva swallow thickly, her throat visibly bobbing with the action. She absolutely loved the fact that she was able to generate this type of reaction in the diva with such a small action and a few well placed words.

Rachel looked around the hallway to make sure that nobody was watching them before turning her attention to the blonde standing next to her, "People can see Quinn," she admonished quietly.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the brunette, "Nobody is even paying attention to us, they don't care I could probably kiss you right now and nobody would even think twice about it."

Logically Rachel knew that the students were now very aware of how affectionate they were with each other, always holding hands and hugging but there was a difference in them thinking they were just affectionate friends and them knowing they were together in a romantic sense. She was trying so hard for Quinn to put her insecurities aside but it was so difficult with the constant reminder of what happened to her fathers' hanging over head not that she could actually ever forget what happened. I mean the case was still in full swing and now that Russell had pretty much been ruled out as a suspect they had absolutely no idea who did it, it could be a relative of one of the students who they went to school with who were just waiting for them to do something gay before they attacked and she wasn't willing to take that risk.

"Q I just don't feel comfortable okay," she stated softly.

The blonde sighed and nodded her head, her hand dropping off of the diva's back. She did understand, she really did but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt a little. All she wanted was to be able to let everyone know that Rachel was hers and hers alone, but the brunette wasn't ready for that yet, she had faith that eventually she would be and she was willing to wait until then because she loved her.

Rachel sighed, she could see how hurt the blonde was and that was the last thing she wanted, but her heart and her head were in constant conflict with each other, when they were alone she always listened to her heart because she felt it was safe to, but in public she was constantly over thinking things always wondering what other people were thinking, what they would think if they knew what Quinn and her did in the privacy of the blonde's bedroom. She reached out and grabbed the blonde's hand, squeezing it lightly, "I'm sorry Q, I'm trying I really am."

The blonde gave her a small smile, "I know you are," she murmured softly, "and I'm trying too, I understand where you're coming from and I'm trying too." Rachel wanted to lean forward and kiss her but she couldn't shake the feeling of people looking at them so she settled for squeezing the blonde's hand, "We got to get to class. Are we walking together?"

"I actually have to go and speak to Coach Sylvester, apparently one of the cheerio's aren't wearing a regulation length skirt and she wants me to handle it." Quinn stated, swinging their linked hands between them.

"Oh .is it to short?" she questioned, eyes drawn to the blonde's cheerio's skirt and the expanse of skin that was visible because of it, her tongue darting out to dampen her suddenly very dry lips.

"No " the blonde answered slowly, her own eyes distracted by the diva's tongue, "It's actually not short enough."

Rachel's head snapped up at the blonde's answer, her eyes now landing on rapidly darkening hazel eyes. She quickly let go of the blonde's hand and cleared her very dry throat, "I think I should go don't want to be late and you don't want to keep coach waiting."

Quinn nodded her head in agreement, before leaning into the brunette, her lips landing by the girl's ear, "We are going to be continuing this at home." She whispered before turning away and walking down the corridor, hips swaying seductively as she went.

"God " Rachel murmured as she slammed her locker, eyes never leaving the blonde's rear end as she walked down the now nearly empty hallway, "That skirt is going to be the death of me."

Rachel was sitting in her chair at the back of her Spanish class, staring out the window waiting for her blonde companion to arrive. The two usually sat in the back of the room and played X's and O's while Mr. Schue prattled on about something in Spanish, it was literally the only way she could be in a room with the man without wanting to ring his neck she realised that she was most likely projecting some of the anger she felt about what happened to her fathers' onto the Glee club but frankly she didn't really care, if anyone deserved her anger it was them.

A flash of blonde in her peripheral vision bought a smile to her face, but when she turned to greet the girl she realised it was the wrong blonde, "Brittany?" she questioned, completely confused as to why the girl would be sitting with her.

"Hey Rach," the bubbly blonde replied, a huge smile gracing her face, "I noticed Quinn wasn't sitting here yet, so I thought I would."

"Okay " Rachel replied hesitantly, unsure what else to say.

"Why don't we talk anymore? I miss talking with you." Brittany stated nonchalantly, as if she had just been talking about the weather.

Rachel had no idea how to even begin to respond to that, it wasn't a question she had thought much about it was just something that happened, Brittany was a member of Glee club and she was no longer in Glee club nor did she talk to anyone from the club, so unfortunately she had lost what little contact she had with the girl plus it wasn't like the girl had made any effort to approach her and talk to her either. "I don't know Brittany It's just something that happened I guess," she answered with a shrug.

Brittany nodded her head in acceptance of her answer, "I miss hearing you sing too you have a really pretty voice, you should come sing again."

Trust Brittany to address all the difficult topics at one go, the diva mused with a wry smile, "If you would like to hear me sing you can come with me to the children's home on Friday, I sing there every week."

Brittany beamed at her, "That would be cool, but why don't you just come back to the Glee club wouldn't that be easier than travelling all the way to the home, I mean you could just walk to the choir room and do the same thing."

Rachel caught sight of her blonde girlfriend standing by the door, a questioning look on her face. She shrugged her shoulders in response to the girl's unasked question and smiled lovingly at her when she begrudgingly took another seat. She turned her attention back to the tall blonde who was smirking at her, "What?" she asked, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

"Nothing " she answered, smiling coyly at her, "So, what about rejoining Glee Club I mean it would be easier."

"Britt " she sighed, she wanted to make the girl understand but she wasn't sure how to do it, "It isn't really about ease it's more about enjoyment."

Brittany furrowed her brow, "Didn't you enjoy singing in Glee club?"

"I did enjoy it I just don't think anyone else did," she answered quietly.

"That's silly, everyone in Glee loved to hear you sing it's not the same without you anymore."

Rachel smiled sadly at the girl, it was almost like Brittany wore blinkers she only ever saw the good and never the bad, it was one of the things she actually admired about the girl she always saw the best in people. She didn't know how to respond to the girl without ruining her view of the other people in the Glee Club so she just nodded her head and turned her attention to the front of the room where Mr. Schue was finally beginning his lesson.

Brittany turned around to face the front as well, "By the way, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about your dads."

Rachel turned and looked at the girl carefully, she had all her attention directed to the front but the brunette knew she was actually focused on her, "Thanks Britt I really appreciate that." It was the first time someone other than Quinn, Judy or Puck had given her their condolences and she actually believed them. Brittany stretched over and patted the brunette's legs, still not taking her eyes off the front very aware that it was probably easier for the girl to talk about this without being focussed on.

The brunette smiled warmly at the girl, she placed her hand on top of the blonde's on her thigh and left it there for the rest of the lesson. When the lesson had ended Mr Schue asked if he could speak to both Rachel and Puck. The two had reluctantly agreed and now stood in front of the man's desk with Quinn, who had refused to leave even after Mr. Schue all but demanded that she do.

The teacher took his seat his hands clasped on the desk in front of him, he wasn't even sure how to broach this particular topic but he was going to try his damndest. "I am sure you are aware why I want to speak to you?" When all 3 teens nodded in response he continued, "I would really like for you two to come back to Glee. I know why you felt the need to leave Rachel and I understand it, how you were treated was absolutely unacceptable and "

"Forgive the interruption Mr. Schue but you treated me just as badly, if not worse than any of my peers. You were supposed to praise me when I came up with suggestions, not criticise me or role your eyes. You were supposed to defend me when the other members resorted to nasty comments or unnecessary taunts, instead of just sitting back and letting it happen. I know I am brash and most of the time self centred, but I know my talent. I know what I can and can't do and I have faith in my abilities If I believe I am best for a solo, I'll say so just like everyone else in that club would, yet I am taunted and disrespected for it while everyone else receives praise. I have come to the realisation that life is too short to be unhappy and I was unhappy in Glee, singing in that club didn't bring me joy anymore and I'm not about to put myself in that situation again just because you asked nicely." Rachel stated, voice rising with ire as she went until she was practically yelling at her teacher.

Mr. Schue sat in shock, over the last few weeks he had slowly come to the realise exactly how poorly the diva had been treated in Glee and his role in the entire situation he had just never heard it laid out so plainly and simply for him before. "I am truly sorry for that Rachel, I honestly am and I know that I will never be able to make up for all the bad things that were done or said to you, but I can promise that they will never happen again I will make sure that you are treated just like everyone else is in Glee."

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that we are two members short and therefore can't compete in competition?"

Quinn asked, her hand rubbing gentle circles on the diva's back in an attempt to calm her after her tirade.

"I won't lie and say it has nothing to do with that, but it's not only about that," Mr. Schue answered honestly. "Look, all I'm asking is that you really give some thought into coming back. Maybe you two can come to the next Glee practice you don't have to partake, but just come and see how it feels to be in the choir room with everyone else again?" He questioned hopefully. Rachel and Puck stared at each other for a few moments... "This one is your call Rach, I'm cool either way," Puck stated, arms crossed over his chest.

Rachel redirected her attention to her teacher, unconsciously leaning back against Quinn's hand for support, "We will think about it Mr. Schue, no promises but we will think about it." The teacher smiled widely at them, "That's all I ask Rachel."

Later that night the two girls were cuddled on the love seat in the study waiting for Judy to come home. Rachel was sitting snugly between the blonde's legs, her head resting against the other girl's chest, "So are you really okay with what happened by my locker today?" she questioned softly.

Quinn was running her free hand through the brunette's hair, her other hand currently unavailable to her as said girl played with it, "I am really okay with what happened," she stated softly, kissing the diva behind her ear. "Would I like to tell people about us sure but I am willing to wait for as long as it takes for you to be comfortable."

Rachel slapped the blonde's hand against her own, before pulling it towards her chest and holding it there, "I told you that I may never be ready to do that," she murmured.

"And I told you that we would wait and see what happened. So, let's wait and see what happens, okay?" Quinn answered, she had faith the brunette would come around and she was going to wait until that happened.

"I just don't want you hurt and now there's Lucas to worry about too I just don't want you guys to be disadvantaged in the slightest because you love me." She responded, placing a gentle kiss to the blonde's hand before dropping it back to her chest.

"I know Rach I know," she tilted the girl's head slightly back so she could place a chaste kiss on her lips. "I don't think we would be disadvantaged in the slightest for loving you I mean love in itself is an advantage, so we would already be miles happier than most people."

Rachel turned her head to the side and tilted it back so she could see the blonde, a small smile gracing her face, "Do you really feel that way?"

Quinn nodded, "I told you Rach, I believe love conquers all. What I learnt from what happened to your dads' is that life's too short not to go for what you want." She tapped the brunette's nose with her finger, "I do believe you said something similar to Mr. Schue today as well so why can't you apply that to us. I make you happy Rach, why worry about anything else."

Rachel stared at the girl for a moment, she was right she had adopted that approach to most other facets of her life, so why couldn't she do it for this one? She really wanted to, but she just couldn't. Every time she tried to just let go and feel, she almost became paralysed with fear all the possible 'what ifs' came floating through her mind and would just not go away, she just couldn't shake all the negative thoughts no matter how much she tried. She wasn't sure if this was the goal the people who had murdered her parents' were aiming at, but if it was they achieved it she was terrified to be in love with a girl and not because it was immoral or wrong, but because she was scared for her and that fear wasn't going to go away any time soon. She leant forward and kissed the other girl before turning around and resting her head back on her chest, "You do make me happy Quinn, so, so happy."

Quinn smiled down at the diva, she knew the girl was still questioning everything and that it was likely to be a while before she felt comfortable enough to be open with people about their relationship, but this was progress, this was a step in the right direction and any step no matter how big or small was better than no step. She placed a gently kiss to the girls head, a seductive smile breaking out on her face, "You know " she husked into the brunette's ear, her finger trailing slowly up the girls neck from her shoulder, "there was something else we were going to talk about when we got home."

Rachel couldn't help the shiver that passed through her body at the feeling of the blonde's hot breath on her ear and finger on her skin. She crawled to the other side of the couch and turned to face the blonde, who was staring at her in confusion, "Well what are you waiting for?" she questioned with a cheeky smile, "Lie back so I can lay more comfortably on top of you."

The blonde smiled brightly at her, instantly doing what was asked of her. Rachel smiled seductively at the blonde as she slowly crawled up her body until they were eye level, "Hi." She murmured quietly as she lowered herself gently so that she was flush with the other girl, her hips resting snugly between her legs.

"Hi." Quinn whispered in reply, her nose bumping the brunette's as she ran a hand through her hair. The blonde stared up into chocolate pools, completely hypnotized by all the emotion she could see swirling within them. It was a moment that felt like an eternity to the blonde before Rachel lowered her head the final distance, connecting their lips in a slow sensual kiss.

Judy was standing with her back against the wall outside the study; she had arrived home and immediately went looking for the girls to tell them about the meeting and about what Danni had said. She could hear their muffled voices coming from the study and the closer to the room she got the clearer their voices became until she could hear every word they were saying. She was aware that courtesy would have her announcing herself so that the girls were aware of her arrival, but when she heard what they were talking about she decided that eaves dropping, while not exactly ethical, would likely be the only way she would receive any information regarding the girls' relationship. It was only when things turned heated that she took her leave and went to the kitchen to think.

This was a development that almost seemed imminent yet somehow still seemed to come as a shock. She expected it on some unconscious level she could see how affectionate they were with each other, how protective Quinn was, how Rachel only seemed to be completely comfortable with her daughter they were inseparable, it made sense that their relationship would progress to this point, she just didn't expect it to happen so soon and she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

This was definitely going to complicate matters with Lucas, more so than they already were and that was saying a lot. I mean what happened if he started to refer to Quinn as ma too, he already called her granny so it really wasn't a far stretch that would definitely make the whole Beth angle of their investigation that much more juicy in their eyes. Then there was everything that the girls seemed to be discussing all she wanted was for them to be happy in life... but after everything that she had seen and lived through the last few months was their life and safety really worth the happiness they seeked?

She leant back in her chair at the kitchen table when another realisation dawned on her she wasn't upset about it, she was concerned about how it was going to effect the girls' lives and their attempts to foster Lucas but on a personal level she wasn't upset about it, in fact she wasn't even phased by the fact they were both girls. "Hmm " she mumbled quietly to herself, a small smile gracing her lips, "maybe his influence is finally wearing off."

She came to the decision not to mention to the girls that she was aware of the shift in their relationship, firstly because she didn't want to explain to them exactly how she found out about the change and secondly she wanted them to feel comfortable enough to tell her on their own terms when they were ready. She knew it was going to be so difficult to pretend she didn't know about their relationship, what with them always disappearing up to the blonde's room to do god knows what but she was going to try her hardest not to say anything to blow her cover.

She nodded her head and stood up from her chair, deciding that it was time to go and get the girls they had a lot they needed to talk about, "Girls!" she yelled, giving them plenty of warning that she was on her way, "I'm home, where are you guys I need to discuss something with you."

Rachel sat on the love seat in the study her head resting in her hands, she wasn't sure what she was feeling but she knew it definitely wasn't good. Judy had just spent the last 20 minutes explaining exactly what Danni had said and from the sounds of things the prognosis of them being able to foster Lucas did not look good at all, but if they didn't they would definitely take him away from her. She couldn't lose that little boy but did she really have a choice, no matter how she looked at the situation in that moment it always ended the same way with them taking him from her.

Quinn was pacing the room, she was angry...no not angry that wasn't a good enough description, she was furious. She couldn't believe this was happening, and to possibly use Beth as a reason as to why they couldn't foster Lucas did not sit well with her at all. It was a completely different situation, adoption was what was best for Beth, she couldn't have taken care of her, hell she could barely take care of herself, she was on her own she had no home and no support and she didn't love Puck it would have helped so much if she had been, but she didn't and she couldn't bring a child into the world with two parents who weren't together, let alone in love. Beth was better off with her family, she deserved a chance to have a real family and Quinn couldn't give her that, which was why she was okay with the adoption  she knew her daughter was with a family that could give her everything she couldn't, she had accepted it and even embraced it to a certain extent. Lucas was a completely different situation they were his chance at a happy family. Things were different now  they had Judy's support, a home and love she could do this with Rachel, if the other girl wanted her too.

Rachel stood up from the chair stopping Quinn mid pace the defeated look on the brunette's face breaking her heart,"I'm going to go upstairs and shower," she mumbled to no one in particular. She turned her attention to Judy who was seated on the coffee table, "Thanks for trying Judy; it means a lot to me that you tried," she gave a small nod before turning and leaving the room.

The blonde watched the brunette leave the room before rounding on her mother, "We're doing it mom," she stated resolutely.

"Honey, I don't know " Judy replied.

"We're doing it," the blonde stated with finality, "Lucas is our family and we are going to fight to keep him. We've got nothing to hide mom, all we have to do is be honest and explain why we did what we did and they won't be able to fault us."

Judy could see the determination in her eye and found in to be almost contagious; she was feeding off her daughter's emotions and for the first time that day she felt as if they might actually have a shot at fostering the boy permanently, "Okay...Let's do this."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, here is the next installment, I hope you enjoy it. I am so sorry it took so long to update...but at least it wasn't two weeks like the last chapter :)
> 
> Thanks so much for all the reviews, alerts and favourites this story has received, I really appreciate all the support and am so glad you guys are enjoying this :)
> 
> All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely brorrowing them temporarily.

**_Chapter 9_ **

 

Russell found himself seated in an interrogation room for the second time in two weeks. He had absolutely no idea why he had been called back in for another meeting he had already told them everything he knew about the Berry men's murders and he had been sure to stay well away from his previous home and all of its current occupants, so they really had no reason to question him further he hadn't done anything wrong.

The door opened to reveal Detective Harding, who walked towards the table and sat down, a determined look on his face, "Hey Russell, how have you been doing?"

"I would be doing better if I knew why I was here I have been nothing short of an upstanding citizen this past fortnight, I can't see what it is that I could have possibly done wrong." Russell responded somewhat indignantly.

"I didn't call you in for doing anything wrong quite the opposite actually." The detective replied.

Russell furrowed his brow in confusion, "You called me in for doing something right?"

"I called you in to give you the opportunity to do something good to attempt to begin to make up for not reporting what happened in the mall prior to the Berry men's deaths." The Detective explained, his hands clasped firmly on the table I front of him.

Russell clenched his jaw; he really just wanted this to be over with, "How exactly can I help?" he asked slowly, somewhat reluctantly.

"We are setting up a sting operation to catch the man who gave you that number and we need your help to do that." The Detective explained, his eyes locked with Russell's.

"You still have yet to explain to me exactly what would be required of me in this situation." Russell responded leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest.

"Well we need you to call the number and arrange a meeting with this person at a predetermined time, date and location.

The location must be public and it will be swarming with undercover officers who will then arrest the man upon his arrival." The detective explained factually, he needed Russell to understand the basics of the set up before going into greater detail.

"So if I am to understanding this correctly, all that is required of me is to make a call and then to sit at the predetermined location until this man notices me and then you and your men will make your presence known and arrest him?" Russell questioned nonchalantly, it really didn't sound all that difficult he would happily do it if it meant that the police would leave him alone.

Detective Harding winced, he actually felt a little guilty that he was asking Russell to do this only a little though, "Actually we would need you to engage them in conversation try to get them to mention being involved with the Berry men's murders. We need to have a confession of involvement before we can arrest them, that way we can hold them while we try to get them to give us the list of everyone else that was involved."

Russell shuffled in his chair, this whole situation suddenly didn't sound so appealing anymore. I mean why would the person even confess their possible involvement in the Berry's murders to him. It wasn't like he called them when they left the number with him, him calling now after all this time would just look suspicious it would definitely be a dangerous position for him to put himself in, "What happens if I decide not to do it?"

"Well have you ever heard of 'Accessory to murder'?" The detective asked, eyebrow raised in question.

Russell bristled in his seat, he definitely did not like the turn the conversation had taken, "How exactly is that relevant to this situation?"

"Well " The detective drawled, "I have discussed your involvement in this particular crime with a few of my colleagues' and they all seem to be in agreement that your lack of action after you were approached in the mall could have well been a contributing factor to the Berry men's deaths, thus making you an accessory." The detective explained as he leaned forward in his chair, his arms coming to rest on the table.

"That's outrageous." Russell fumed, clasped hand banging down on the table in anger.

"That's your opinion." Detective Harding mused with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair, rocking onto the back legs. "Did you know there is quite a hefty jail sentence that accompanies an Accessory To Murder charge?" he explained, he was aware that the chances of Russell actually being charged with 'Accessory to murder' were slim to none but Russell didn't need to know that.

Russell clenched his jaw, teeth grinding in fury, "What exactly are you getting at?"

The detective leant forward again, he knew that the way he was behaving wasn't exactly ethical and he was also aware that if Russell had a lawyer present he would have definitely been called out for improper conduct, but the fact was that no lawyer was present and the bottom line was that he really wanted to close this case, Rachel and the Fabray ladies deserved at least that much and if that meant he had to resort to underhanded tactics to achieve that goal than he would more than happily do it, "What I am doing is giving you the opportunity to do something good and worthwhile and help us to catch the scum that did this but if you choose not to, I will force your hand."

"So if I don't do it, you'll charge me?" Russell growled in anger, he really did not like having his right to choose taken away from him.

The detective gave a short nod of his head in reply.

"And if I do help you " he forced out, "You'll forget about these charges?"

"That pretty much sums it up yip." The detective responded, eyes never leaving Russell he could see every emotion the other man was experiencing playing out across his face. He knew exactly how this was going to play out, he had backed Russell into a corner for the second time and he had only one way out.

"I'll do it." Russell ground out with a frustrated shake of his head.

Quinn was sitting in the choir room next to Rachel, Lucas sitting on the brunette's lap. Puck and Rachel had been attending the Glee club meetings for the last week much to Mr. Schue's pleasure, they hadn't taken part choosing rather to sit and observe but the main thing was that they were coming which was a step in the right direction.

It had been a week since the Fabray's had decided to fight for Lucas and even though the brunette was aware of this she was still abnormally protective of the small boy, clinging to him whenever she could. It was almost as if she had resigned herself to the fact that he was going to be taken and therefore she had to make the most of the time she had left with him, hence Lucas' presence in the choir room. The brunette was unwilling to sacrifice a single minute she got to spend with the small boy, so she and Puck went and fetched him before coming to Glee.

There was nothing the blonde could do to convince the diva that Lucas wasn't going anywhere, so she settled for supporting her for being there for both her and Lucas. She had become very protective of both of them, finding herself glaring and snapping at anyone who attempted to approach the pair let alone those that tried to take Lucas away from a reluctant Rachel.

Lucas was sitting facing the diva, playing with her Star of David chain when Mr. Schue walked in. He took up his position at the front of the class, eyebrows rising in surprise when he noticed Lucas' presence, "I see we have a new member today!" he stated enthusiastically.

The entire Glee club turned to stare curiously at Rachel and the small boy in response to Mr. Schue's statement, causing the brunette to lean unconsciously into Quinn's side, her grip on Lucas tightening slightly.

Quinn could feel Rachel's discomfort, after all these were the people who had made her life a living hell and now Lucas was present as well it just didn't make for a very happy situation. She wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulders, not caring how it might have looked to the other members in the room, and glared at everyone who was staring, "Eyes upfront!" she snapped, causing them all to instantly turn their attention back to Mr. Schue everyone except for Santana who smirked at them for a few more seconds before leisurely turning around to face the front.

The blonde stared at the back of their heads for a few more moments, daring one of them to turn back around, before returning her focus to her teacher who squirmed slightly under her intense gaze, "Please continue Mr. Schue."

The teacher cleared his throat and nodded his head in agreement, clearly uncomfortable with the current situation and more than willing to move on from it, "Right! Well I was thinking that maybe Rachel and Puck could come up here and sing for us today?" He asked, a hopeful look on his face. He had asked every meeting they had attended and always got the same negative response, but he was anything if not determined and would continue to ask until he got the positive response he was looking for.

Puck turned his attention to the brunette sitting next to him, forgoing his own opinion on the matter and allowing the diva to make the final decision he would stand by her no matter what she ultimately decided to do, it was her choice.

Rachel pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, she had missed performing with and for people her own age but she wasn't sure she was ready for the onslaught she would inevitably receive, "I don't know Mr. Schue." She replied softly.

"Come on Rach!" Brittany exclaimed enthusiastically, "You were awesome when you sang for the kids, but I really want to hear you sing in Glee club again."

Lucas snapped his head up to stare at the brunette, "Sing!" he exclaimed excitedly with a clap of his hands. Mr. Schue laughed at the small boy's enthusiasm, "That's right little guy do you want to hear them sing?" he cooed at the small boy.

"No-No, ma." The little boy exclaimed, squirming in the brunette's lap excitedly.

Their teacher furrowed his brow in confusion, "You don't want to hear them sing?" he questioned. Quinn reluctantly looked away from the small boy, an affectionate smile on her face, "No-No is what he calls Puck." She explained, Puck beaming with pride at the small boy's acknowledgement of him.

"And whose ma?" Mercedes questioned, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Quinn turned her focus to the girl, all affection gone from her face, "Rachel is." She stated icily, her eyebrow raised to mirror that of Mercedes, silently challenging the girl too question it further.

Mercedes maintained eye contact with the cheerleader for a moment longer before turning away to face Mr. Schue, she would have to have been stupid to challenge Quinn when she was in HBIC mode and she was anything but.

"Okay " Mr. Schue stated slowly, he was still slightly confused by everything that he had just learnt but thought better than to question it especially in Quinn's presence, "So what do you guys say? Are you going to sing for the little guy?"

Rachel locked eyes with the blonde boy in her lap and could see such awe and adoration reflected in his brown eyes she couldn't say no to him, "His name is Lucas " she stated, dropping a kiss to his head, "and yes we'll perform for him."

She passed Lucas to Quinn before standing up and making her way to the front of the room, Puck following close behind.

"Hey Rach." Brittany called, drawing everyone's attention to her, "Sing one of the songs you sang to the kids on Friday Lucas liked all of those."

The brunette nodded her head in agreement, offering a sincere smile to the tall blonde, "That sounds like a wonderful idea Britt." She stated warmly before turning her attention to the Mohawked boy standing next to her.

The two spent about 5 minutes whispering to each other at the front of the room before finally approaching Brad to tell him what song they would be singing. Puck went to fetch his guitar while Rachel turned to address the other people in the room, "The song we have chosen to sing is 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin, which happens to be Lucas' current favourite movie. I hope you all enjoy."

Quinn chuckled lightly, bouncing her knees and by proxy Lucas, "You do realise he is going to be unmanageable tonight because of this." She mused, smiling warmly as the small boy leant heavily against her chest, her bouncing legs lulling him to sleep.

"That's what I said." Puck stated playfully.

"I am fully aware of how he is likely to behave later tonight, but it's totally worth it if I get to see that smile." Rachel stated fondly, gesturing to the tired beaming smile gracing Lucas' face.

Lucas had developed somewhat of an obsession with Aladdin. The girls' had wanted to share something with him that had been important to them as children and had settled on showing him Aladdin as it was a movie they had both enjoyed Puck was just grateful it hadn't been a 'girly' film like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. It had turned out to be both a good and a bad idea. He really loved the film, watching it multiple times a week sometimes multiple times a day, his new favourite word when he was at home with Judy and she set him down to watch the film was 'again' the minute it finished. It was an absolute blessing when they had homework or cleaning that needed to be done, they could just sit him down in front of the TV and put Aladdin on and he was a happy camper for the rest of the day.

Then there was the little fact that when he wasn't watching Aladdin he wanted to be him he now wanted everything Aladdin had (except Jasmine he didn't care about her). He wanted an Abu, a genie and a flying carpet. Puck had become his flying carpet, spending hours at a time running around with Lucas above his head and when he became tired the job fell on the girls and Judy to fulfil. He had a blue blanket which became his genie that now went with them everywhere and he had commandeered one of Quinn's teddy bears and turned it into his Abu.

This phase in Lucas' life had already resulted in some of Rachel's fondest memories; she couldn't believe the impact the small boy had on her life after such short period of time. One particularly awkward situation brought about by Lucas' love of Aladdin was when he managed to get hold of one of Quinn's red bra's while 'helping' Judy sort the laundry and proceeded to try to tie it around his waist. Only Judy thought he was trying to put the bra on and expressed to the girls that he already appeared to be showing cross dressing tendencies, much to their amusement. The look of relief that crossed the older Fabray's face when they explained that the genie from Aladdin wore a red sash around his waist and that Lucas was most likely just trying to imitate that was one she wouldn't forget for a long while. The solution to that particular problem was to tack a single strip of red fabric across the middle of his blue blanket, which made both Lucas and Quinn happy Lucas because his genie got a sash and Quinn because her red bra stopped disappearing.

As the brunette thought back on it she realised exactly how many of the situations involving Lucas' obsession actually involved Judy as well. She could remember one particular afternoon last week where she and Quinn returned from the shop to find Lucas tied to her back with his blue blanket while she cleaned the kitchen. When the girls enquired about their current arrangement Judy explained that Lucas had wanted to fly and she had wanted to clean and the only way she could figure they could both get what they wanted was to tie him to her and let him 'fly' while she cleaned. Needless to say plenty of pictures were taken that day.

Rachel was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of Lucas grunting as he stretched back into Quinn, rubbing his tiny fists against tired eyes. The blonde smiled lovingly at the small boy, kissing the top of his head, "I think we should get this lullaby started you two." She murmured to Rachel and Puck, eyes never leaving Lucas as she ran her fingers through his hair.

The diva smiled fondly at the two people she considered her family more so than anyone else in her life, she loved them both so much and the thought of having something happen to them or of them not being in her life anymore broke her heart. She stared at the two a moment longer before snapping into professional mode, "Alright, at thy ladies request " she gestured to Quinn with a small smile, "we shall now begin our performance." She turned her attention to Brad and gave him a small nod to signal he could begin before turning to Puck who took his cue from the pianist and began strumming his guitar perfectly in time. The two shared a knowing smile before turning their focus to Quinn and Lucas and singing directly to them.

Kurt sat in the front row watching the exchange with interest. After the funeral and his subsequent talk with the brunette a month later he had made a conscious effort to ignore the blossoming relationship between the two girls, choosing rather to focus all of his energy into his own blossoming relationship with Blaine. He had wanted to give the diva time to come to terms with all the changes that had taken place in her life the last few months and by the looks of the way the two girls were interacting with each other during the song, she had certainly made progress and he was absolutely convinced that a certain blonde head cheerleader had an awful lot to do with it.

He turned his attention to the other occupants in the room who were all intently watching the performance, small smiles gracing their faces it had been a while since they had heard Rachel and Puck sing and although none of them would willingly admit it, they had all missed it a lot Glee club was just not the same without their resident diva and their very own badass. What he could not seem to comprehend was how nobody else seemed to notice how intimate this performance actually was, it was like they were all wearing blinders and could only focus on Rachel and Puck and nothing else. He turned his attention back to the performance his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity maybe it's a gay thing  maybe only gay people can notice other gay people but if that was the case surely Santana and Brittany would see it as well. He turned to the cheerios in question and realised that neither was actually paying attention to the performance choosing rather to sing the song to each other, he rolled his eyes and focused back on the performance, finally understanding why Glee's two other resident gays weren't seeing what he was.

He took in the light blush that covered the blonde's cheeks as Rachel sang directly to her, how the blonde pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, a habit he knew the blonde resorted to when she was being flirty or seductive, and if the darkening of Rachel's eyes was anything to go by it was definitely working. The looks the two were sending each other were smouldering; they were basically having full on eye sex in front of everyone. Kurt snapped his head to look at everyone else in the room who all appeared to be completely oblivious Seriously was he honestly the only one who could see this?

He had never been so happy to see the end of a performance, not because it was bad or anything, quite contrarily from what he heard it was actually very good. No he was happy to see the end of the song because he was sure that if it had gone on for any longer the relationship that Rachel and Quinn were quite clearly trying to hide, rather poorly might he add, wouldn't have been hidden anymore because he was sure they were about to jump one another. It was definitely time for another conversation with Glee's resident diva; he only hoped this one turned out better than the last one.

Puck and Rachel smiled shyly as the other occupants of the room clapped and sang their praise for their performance, both were pretty sure it was a little exaggerated due to the clubs desire to have them back but it still felt good. Rachel was blushing slightly, she just wasn't sure it had anything to do with the praise they were receiving and all to do with the blonde in the back row. She was definitely a little hot under the collar and by the looks of the darkened hazel eyes staring intently at her she wasn't the only one.

Rachel's attention was drawn away from Quinn by the sound of Mr. Schue approaching them, "That was amazing you guys; we've really missed hearing you sing." He stated enthusiastically.

Rachel nodded her head somewhat distractedly, eyes drawn back to the blonde in the back row, "Thanks Mr. Schue, it was fun."

"So what do you think? Do you guys want to officially join Glee again?" He asked, his tone dripping with hopefulness.

All Rachel officially wanted to do was take Quinn and Lucas home and make out with the blonde until Judy arrived who knew singing could be such an aphrodisiac. Puck smirked at the small brunette. He knew that look in her eye, hell he had given it several times himself and if he had been a better Jew Bro he would have helped her out by answering Mr. Schue's question for them but as luck would have it, he wasn't a better Jew Bro and he loved to see Rachel squirm so he decided to just wait for her to answer.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue prompted when she had yet to respond.

"Hmm?" she replied finally tearing her eyes from the blonde.

"What do you say?" He asked hopefully.

"I say that Quinn and I really must be going we ... we have a thing we were supposed to do for Judy before she got home and we clean forgot." She explained rapidly, the blonde immediately beginning to gather their things she had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Rachel in that moment. Rachel grabbed their bags from the blonde who cradled a sleeping Lucas to her chest and the two hurriedly made their way to the door without looking back.

"Wait!" Mr. Schue yelled, stopping both girls just before they exited the room, "Are you coming back to Glee?"

Rachel literally laughed in relief; she was so scared that he was going to make them stay longer and she literally did not think she would be able to survive that considering her current state of arousal, "Yes. Mr. Schue. Yes." She stated shortly, as the blonde pulled her out the door and around the corner, "I'll see you next Glee meeting." She yelled from somewhere down the hall.

Things had progressed pretty quickly since arriving home; Lucas had been placed in his playpen in Rachel's room while the girls made excellent use of the blonde's bed, the baby monitor standing nearby on the bedside table. They were stripped down to nothing but their panties and had somehow managed to get under the duvet cover which was currently lying haphazardly around their waists. Rachel was lying on top of the blonde, their lips very much fused together. Her elbows were resting on either side of the other girls head and her hips were flush with Quinn's, one of her legs resting snugly between the cheerleaders.

Quinn whimpered when Rachel broke the kiss they had been sharing, she didn't want the kissing to stop she never wanted the kissing to stop. She opened her eyes to find chocolate orbs staring down at her and felt her breath hitch the look that Rachel was giving her was one that she had never seen before and it sent a thrilling chill down her spine. This was a new level of intimacy for the two of them and it had just progressed so naturally up to this point, they had arrived home and put Lucas down before making their way to Quinn's bed and letting things go from there they didn't over think anything choosing rather to let their feelings guide their actions. There had been no awkward pauses or fumbling of any kind they had just done what felt natural and it had resulted in Quinn finding herself in one of the most intimate, comfortable positions of her life. They both knew where this was going and although no words needed to be said or questions asked she understood Rachel's desire to make sure that she was ready for this next step.

She moved one of her hands from the diva's back, slowly dragging it up her spine, over her shoulder, up the side of her neck and finally bringing it to rest on her cheek. She stared up into searching brown eyes and gave a small nod of consent which she then sealed with a peck to the lips. Rachel continued to stare at her for a moment longer, a small smile breaking out on her face, before she finally connected their lips again.

The kiss was slow and sensual, they were in no rush, they were going to approach this how they had approached everything else that day they were going to let their feelings guide them. They did nothing more than kiss for a few minutes, giving themselves a chance to come to terms with the new situation they found themselves in and the feelings that were associated with it.

It was Rachel that took the first step into unexplored territory when Quinn bit down on her lower lip causing her hips to involuntarily thrust forward resulting in her thigh pushing against Quinn's core. The blonde instantly broke the kiss, turning her head to the side to gasp for breath exposing her neck and it's expanse of skin to the diva who instantly began to pepper kisses down her neck, stopping only to suck on her pulse point.

"Oh God!" Quinn panted, hips thrusting up into the diva, "That feels so good baby."

Rachel moaned her acknowledgement, picking up the rhythm of Quinn's hips as she continued to cover the blonde's neck with nips and licks. Quinn gripped Rachel's back, holding her close as their hips rose and fell against each other, her nails digging into the other girl's skin, no doubt leaving marks, as the feelings began to overwhelm her.

The brunette pulled away from the blonde's neck smirking at her handy work before locking eyes with the girl below her. The feelings that were swirling within her were something she had never experienced before and while she was sure a lot of them had to do with the feeling of Quinn's breast rubbing against her own, of her nails running up and down her back, of her thigh brushing against her clit oh so sweetly she was also sure that some of those feelings could be contributed to the love she felt for the girl below her, she was honest to god, head over heels, knock your socks off in love with her and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

She ran her hand through the blonde's hair and dropped a kiss to the panting blonde's lips pulling back just enough for their lips to be separated but their noses to still be brushing. She breathed in every breath that Quinn exhaled and savoured it; she loved the intimacy that accompanied the act of sharing breaths with someone. There was nothing more romantic to her than the idea of two people being so in love with each other that they would be willing to share their last breaths if Quinn Fabray's breath was the last thing she inhaled; she would die a happy person.

Rachel could feel the spring within her stomach beginning to coil tighter with every thrust of their hips and panted breath that they shared. She looked up into wide hazel eyes and smiled lovingly, "Are you close?" she panted, receiving a short nod in response.

"Me too." The brunette managed to groan out as one of the blonde's hands travelled south and gripped her ass, pulling her hips tighter against her own. It definitely wasn't going to take long just a few more thrusts and.

 

"Quinnie, I just went to Rach- OH MY GOD!" Judy yelled, rushing back out the room and slamming the door behind her.

 

Rachel threw herself off the blonde, landing on the floor next to her bed, all thought of her almost orgasm gone having your guardian walk in on you dry humping her daughter is as good as a cold shower if not better. She looked up to find Quinn wearing a matching look of absolute mortification  they were both in such a state of shock that all they did was sit there in silence, they had absolutely no idea what else to do.

"I'm going to go down stairs and start dinner," Judy yelled through the door, "Why don't you too get dressed and come down stairs and join me?" It was stated as a question but there was really no choice in the matter.

They sat completely still listening to Judy's retreating footsteps until they disappeared completely. Rachel turned to Quinn as she got up off the floor and began to gather their clothes, "We are so screwed." The two girls walked into the kitchen to find Judy sitting at the table, a cup of coffee cradled in her hands, two more placed on the table in front of the girls usual chairs. Both girls took their seats mumbling a thank you for the coffee, too embarrassed to even attempt to look at the older woman.

Judy had already decided that she wasn't going to start this conversation but rather wait for one or both of them to begin it, so she just continued to sip her coffee, staring at the top of the girls' heads.

It was about 5 minutes before Rachel finally snapped, having not been able to handle the silence. She finally looked up at Judy and was surprised to see that she did not appear to be angry, in fact she didn't appear to be much of anything having adopted a rather convincing neutral faÃ§ade, "I'm really sorry Judy, we honestly did not want you to find out like that." Rachel scoffed lightly at her own stupidity, "Of course we didn't want you to find out like that, that was a really stupid thing to say. I mean who would want to introduce their girlfriend to her parents like that you would have to be a special kind of freak to do that "Rachel rambled.

Judy smiled lightly into her cup; she knew the minute Rachel started rambling that she was nervous. She found the trait to be absolutely adorable and on any other day and under any other circumstance she would have happily let her continue, but in this situation she felt the need to put her out of her misery. "I knew!" she exclaimed loudly to be heard of the brunette. When both girls attention snapped to her she continued more softly, "I knew I've known for about a week now. I've just been waiting for one of you to come and tell me."

"How?" Quinn asked

"I heard you two talking in the study last week." Judy replied, sighing in relief when both girls nodded their head in acceptance instead of questioning her for eaves dropping.

"And you're okay with it?" Rachel asked hesitantly, she really didn't want to have to go back to the home.

Judy reached over the table and took one of each of the girls' hands in each of her own, giving them a small squeeze, "Yes, I'm okay with it. I would have liked for you girls to have told me, but I can understand why you didn't and I'm okay with that." She murmured softly, a warm smile on her face, "All though we are going to have to set up some ground rules so that a situation like the one that happened earlier on won't happen again." She added with a playful twinkle in her eye.

Both girls blushed scarlet, Quinn more obviously than Rachel, and nodded their head in agreement if it would save them from experiencing that embarrassment again they would happily agree to any and all rules set for them.

 

The rest of the evening went by far more pleasantly than it began, Judy laid down her ground rules and then went onto explain what Detective Harding had told her about the next steps that were being taken in the case. Both girls were excited by the progress that was being made because not only did it mean that they were one step closer to catching Rachel's fathers' killer but also that they could begin the paperwork and take the first step towards fostering Lucas' permanently.

Later that night once everyone was in bed and fast asleep, Quinn was woken up by a soft whimpering sound coming through the baby monitor. She carefully extracted herself from Rachel, who was still allowed to sleep in her bed with her provided all they did was sleep, and walked out of the room and across the hall into Rachel's room. She carefully made her way over to Lucas play pen to find the small boy lying awake, he wasn't crying but he wasn't happy either. She stretched into the play pen and laid her hand on his stomach gently, "Hey buddy, Are you okay?" she cooed softly.

The small boy stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, his whole body shaking with the force of the sob that escaped him.

"Awww "Quinn cooed picking him up and cradling him to her chest, "I've got you." She murmured rocking him gently until his sobbing died down into whimpers, "Did you have a bad dream?" she asked, running her hand up and down his back soothingly.

Lucas nodded his head, gripping tightly onto Quinn's shirt. "You're okay Luke." She cooed softly, "I won't let anything happen to you."

When the little boy showed no signs of relaxing she decided to take another approach, "Do you want to come sleep with your ma and I?" she whispered softly, kissing his forehead.

"Yes mom." He replied with a nod of his head, causing every bone and muscle in the blonde's body to cease functioning.

She stood stock still, Lucas still clinging to her for dear life. She felt a whirlwind of emotions flow through her, but the one she chose to focus on was the love she felt for the small boy curled in her arms there was definitely a lot of other feelings associated with this new development that she would have to address and soon especially with the foster case coming up but for now she was going to take the gift she had been given and not question it. She looked down at the little boy in her arms who was staring at her curiously as if waiting to see how she would respond to the term of endearment, she smiled lovingly at him, placing a kiss on his cheek, "Alright, let's go to bed."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys...here is part 10, where everything really begins to start concluding, I'm not sure how many more chapters will follwo this one, but I would definitely say that we are in the final stretch now:). This chapter just completely got away from me, it took on a lie of it's own...so blame it for it's length ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for all the reviews, I am really absolutely overwhelmed by the support you guys have shown this story...I am so glad you guys are all enjoying it. Keep the reviews coming, I'll love hearing what you guys think.
> 
> All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters...that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing the temporarily.

**_Chapter 10_ **

 

It had taken a month to get where they were now. One month of careful planning, one month of biding their time until they knew they were absolutely ready, one month to make sure they made no mistakes and as Detective Harding stood in the observation room, staring through the two way mirror at the man who held all the answers to this case, he knew it had been all worthwhile.

For the first time since this case had crossed his desk, a real genuine smile broke out onto his face. He finally felt, with absolute conviction, that this case was going to be closed and it was a huge relief. If he had been a less professional person he would have externalized his joy by jumping up and down and fist pumping the air but alas he was nothing short of a consummate professional, so no such activity would be taking place he was dancing on the inside though.

It still felt a little surreal that they were even in this position  what was even more unbelievable was how much they actually owed their current position to one Mr. Russell Fabray.

Russell was sitting opposite Michael Baxter at the Lima Coffee Bean. He had been shocked when the man had agreed to meet with him after so long, having bought his story of a misplaced phone number that had only been stumbled upon again recently.

He had been making small talk with the man for the last hour, lulling him into a false sense of security. It was only once he could tell the other man had let his guard down and relaxed that he broached the subject of the Berry men.

" So " Russell began, leaning forward in his chair, so the distance between the two men was smaller, "I can't even begin to express how disappointed I was that I misplaced your number I really would have liked to be have been involved in getting rid of the Berry's." He whispered softly, looking around cautiously. He was trying to convince the man that he was nervous talking about this all of his actions had to be authentic if he was going to believe him enough to confess anything to him.

Michael leant forward, shortening the distance between them even further, a smirk on his face, "Yeah, you really missed out on something special."

Russell furrowed his brow in faux confusion, "Didn't you too? I mean they were killed before you got your chance to get them to leave as well?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair, "We got rid of them just as I said we would."

" Wait " Russell began, "You mean what happened to the Berry's that was you?" Michael shrugged his shoulders in a blasé fashion, a chuffed smile on his face.

" You killed them?" Russell questioned quietly, he needed a definitive answer before the police would swoop in and arrest the man. They wouldn't risk Michael getting off on a technicality.

Michael leant forward again, "Well, I don't know for sure who delivered the deadly blow, but I was there I got my shots in." he mused, a fond look on his face as he remembered that day, "You should have been there Russell, seeing those homo's take their last breath was an amazing experience."

Russell gave a short nod of his head, a tight smile on his face. He felt sick, he may not have liked the Berry men, but he had never taken any joy out of trying to rid them from Lima. Not like this man these men, who appeared to enjoy their sadistic treatment of the Berry's. The mere fact that people clumped him into the same category as these men that they thought of him as one of their own made his skin crawl.

They were completely surrounded by police in a matter of seconds, Michael in hand cuffs just as quickly. He didn't stick around to hear them read him his rights, choosing rather to rip off his wire and leave he couldn't stand to be there any longer.

Detective Harding took a deep breath making his way to the interrogation room door it was time to go and get the names of everyone else who were involved.

The girls were cuddled on the couch in the living room; a sleeping Lucas curled up on Rachel's chest. It had been a long day scratch that it had been a long month.

They had basically spent every free moment they had, since starting the process to foster Lucas on a permanent basis, preparing for any and all situations, both expected and unexpected, that could possibly hinder their chances.

It had started with the in house inspection that had been conducted the week prior. One had been conducted when they had initially decided to foster Lucas on a day to day basis but it had not been in depth or intensive enough so another had needed to be carried out.

They had been lucky enough to have an inside source in the form of Danielle, who had told them what the social workers would likely be looking for. Judy had followed all the advice and instructions that Danni had given, ensuring that the entire house had been baby proofed and thus was safe for Lucas. She had even converted one of the extra guest's rooms into a nursery. They had wanted them to see how much they had already adapted their lives to accommodate for Lucas' presence  of exactly how much of an integral and loved member of their family and household he already was.

It had gone really well in their books. Between the three of them they had been able to answer all the questions that were posed to them and if by some miracle something was identified that they hadn't thought of (baby seat in the kitchen), they were very apologetic and assured the social worker that it would be remedied promptly. Rachel was absolutely thrilled with how it had gone, explaining that she had just happened to stumble upon their checklist when they had left it unattended while on a bathroom break and they had met nearly all of the requirements. Judy was still undecided on whether she wanted to chastise the girl for snooping or kiss her for putting her mind at ease.

The next step had been the interview, which had been conducted earlier in the day. The days leading up to the interview, which was the portion of the process that had the power to make them or break them, was very stressful for all involved especially Judy, who actually had a breakdown of sorts.

 

_Four Days Earlier_

 

Rachel and Quinn were standing in front of a seated Judy, arms crossed over their chests and frowns on their faces, "Why not?" Rachel whined, "He deserves to be present."

Judy could literally feel her blood begin to boil, they had been at this for the last 15 minutes and she had already said 'no' more times than she could count she could not understand why they wouldn't just accept her answer and drop it, "Because I said so Rachel, now just accept it and move on, okay?" Judy stated firmly biting back the anger she felt.

"This is because you don't like Puck isn't it?" Quinn asked, her frustration with her mother's continued rejection being expressed in her tone.

The older Fabray clenched her jaw, her hold on her anger lessening with every defiance of her decision, "This has nothing to do with my own personal feelings about one Mr. Noah Puckerman, I just feel it would be better if he wasn't present for the interview."

"Why?" Rachel cried, stamping her foot in an expression of her displeasure.

"Because!" Judy yelled, finally letting go of all restraint and embracing the anger she felt, "If Noah Puckerman is present at the interview, you best kiss Lucas goodbye!" she was seething, her chest heaving with every breath she took.

The shocked gaping looks gracing the girls' faces provided her with a pretty accurate picture of what she currently looked like, and she really couldn't bring herself to care, "I'm going to give you girls a much needed reality check We are up against a wall here. The likelihood of them giving us that little boy when taking into consideration all the issues and concerns surrounding the three of us is slim to none. If we throw Noah into the mix, what with him being Beth's father and his track record with Juvie, the last part of Lucas we will see will be his back as the social worker carries him away." Judy explained her anger dissipating, until all that was left was a tired, stressed woman.

Judy leant back in her chair, her nose pinched between her fingers, "I have been the one speaking to Danni throughout this process, therefore I am the one who knows what is ultimately for the best and trust me when I say that it is better if Noah Puckerman is not present at that interview."

Both girls stood stock still, completely dumbfounded by Judy's outburst, before nodding their heads in understanding. They both felt more than a little guilty for having pushed the older woman to that point, "We're sorry mom." Quinn mumbled softly.

Judy nodded her head with a tight smile, "It's okay." She stated softly, her voice laced with exhaustion, "Can we put all this ugliness behind us now and move on? We really should be spending our time focussing on preparing ourselves for this, rather than arguing over irrelevant and unimportant things."

Both girls didn't really like Judy referring to Puck as irrelevant and unimportant, but they also knew that they had put the older woman through enough already, so they just nodded their heads in agreement, silently hoping that when all this was over and things had begun to calm down Judy would be more susceptible to Puck's presence hell, maybe she would even grow to like him.

Quinn started at the two people cuddled in her arms, a tired smile on her face this was her family, and despite how exhausted they all were from the day's events, she took comfort in their position, she loved holding them close and protecting them from anything everything. All three of them were still dressed in their Sunday best, too tired to even attempt to change into more comfortable clothes. They had only just managed to take off their shoes and Lucas' dinner jacket before they collapsed onto the couch in an exhausted heap, the blonde boy instantly falling asleep against Rachel's chest.

Rachel turned her attention to the blonde girl, Chocolate instantly finding warmth and comfort in a loving hazel gaze. She lifted the hand that wasn't holding Lucas to her chest to the cheerleaders face, cupping her cheek gently, "Are you okay?" she whispered softly, her thumb stroking the other girl's cheek.

Quinn nodded her head, kissing the girl's palm reassuringly. The social worker had asked her some pretty difficult questions with regard to Beth and her motives for wanting to be in Lucas' life in the capacity that she currently was when she couldn't even do that for her own daughter. They knew the questions were coming, Danni had prepared them for that but to actually hear them, the tone of accusation that accompanied them well it had felt like she had been sucker punched. They had been brutal, bluntly telling her that she was looking at Lucas as a replacement for the daughter she really wanted, barely even giving her a chance to refute the claim she did it however, in a style that made one Rachel Berry very happy.

Judy, Rachel and Quinn just sat there in complete and utter shock they had barely said two words so far in this interview, the social worker choosing rather to list every single one of their indiscretions clearly enjoying the sound of his voice too much. He clearly had already made his mind up about whether they were fit guardians for Lucas or not and didn't feel like wasting his time on asking unnecessary questions when he already had all the answers he would need.

Every time one of the girls had tried to interrupt he would shut them down with a condescending smile and some asinine statement. It was only when he hit the topic of Beth and Quinn's motives did the fireworks really begin.

Quinn shook her head in shock and disbelief, she really couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. They had agreed before the interview began that the best thing to do would be to answer each question as honestly as possible but that would only work if they were actually given the opportunity to answer. Here this man was, ripping them to shreds with his words and he wasn't even giving them a chance to defend themselves and she had really had enough of it.

"I'm sorry..." Quinn began, silently fuming.

"It's quite alright Miss." He stated, cutting her off, "I'm sure it's difficult to hear all of this laid out in such a factual manner.

What's important is that you know that your motives for going through with this process do not affect my opinion of you as a person I'm sure you are absolutely delightful."

Quinn clenched her jaw, the arm that she had wrapped around Rachel tightening slightly. She felt a small hand on her leg and looked down to see that Lucas had placed his hand on her thigh and was patting it reassuringly. It was as if he could sense she was getting angry and was trying to calm her down in his own way. She looked up at the petite boy, who was sitting on the brunette's lap, to find him staring intently at her, a small smile on his face she returned the smile, feeling some of the anger she felt recede. Taking one deep calming breath she turned her attention back to the social worker, who was blabbering on about something, she had no idea what because she hadn't been paying attention to him, but she didn't think it could be to important seeing as how bored he appeared to be...therefore she felt no guilt whatsoever for interrupting him, "Stop!" Quinn demanded incredulously, the man obeying almost instantly, clearly upset at being interrupted, and just as he opened his mouth to say as such Quinn interrupted him again, "Seriously, just stop. You have spoken more than enough in this interview and now I think it's time you kept quiet and actually let us say our piece." Quinn explained firmly.

The three woman waited with baited breath to see how the man would respond, they knew that Quinn calling him out had been a gamble that was either going to work for them or against them they just didn't know which yet. It was another moment of complete silence, all four adults and Lucas just staring at each other, before finally the social worker acquiesced with a reluctant nod of his head. To say the women were relieved would be an understatement.

"Okay" Quinn sighed out, suddenly very nervous at the prospect of actually being heard, what if she said something that messed this up, you know put the metaphorical final nail in the coffin. She was more than aware however that actually being given the opportunity to be heard in a situation where they really hadn't been allowed to engage was an amazing gift and guaranteed to be more successful than not conversing at all so she suppressed her nerves, squared her shoulder and made the most of the situation she had created, "Well, I would like to start by addressing the assumptions you made around Beth, and my motives for wanting Lucas. I am in no way deluded enough to think that I could ever replace Beth with Lucas they are two completely different people and they came into my life at two completely different times and under two very different circumstances. I love Beth dearly I always will, which is why I gave her up for adoption. My circumstances were very different then, I didn't have the support I have now, so I did what was best for her and I gave her to a family that could give her everything I could not. With Lucas everything is different, I have a home, I have support and I have love and those three things make all the difference in the world. I love Lucas very much as his own person  and yes, eventually when he gets older he will be told all about Beth. In this situation we are what is best for Lucas, just like the Watsons were what was best for Beth in that situation." She explained, nodding her head with finality when she concluded her speech.

The man eyed her carefully for a moment, a glint of what almost looked like respect shining in his eyes before finally turning his attention back to his clip board with a nod of his head. Quinn couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face and when she turned her focus to Rachel and saw two matching looks of awe being directed her way well maybe she sat up straighter in her chair and puffed out her chest a little, she would happily continue to speak her mind if it made them look at her with such pride.

Rachel smiled fondly at the memory; the whole interview had been going really poorly until Quinn had put her foot down and taken charge it had been sexy as hell and also marked a definite change in the tone and atmosphere of the situation, the social worker becoming far more accommodating and even respectful after that. "You know " Rachel began, her thumb grazing the blonde's bottom lip, "It's because of you that we might actually have a fighting shot as getting Lucas."

"I wouldn't say that." Quinn murmured, placing a kiss to the thumb still resting on her lip, "I think mom's closing statement was pretty damn convincing."

"That it was." The diva responded, craning her neck slightly to bring her lips slightly closer to the cheerleader's without actually jostling Lucas, "but it was you demanding to be heard that resulted in the social workers change in attitude he was far more accommodating after that point."

"Yeah?" Quinn murmured, leaning forward slightly so that her nose was brushing against the brunette's, "You liked that didn't you?" she breathed against the other girl's lips.

"So much." Rachel whispered breathily, she so desperately wanted to kiss the girl, but for her to initiate it she would have to move her body, which meant jostling Lucas and that just wasn't an option. So she waited patiently for Quinn to close the distance between their lips, only she seemed completely content just to hover there with a small smirk on her lips, taunting the diva with something she knew she very much wanted but would be unable to attain at that very moment.

Rachel let out a huff, quickly becoming frustrated with the situation, "Are you going to kiss me or just continue to tease me all day because I can assure you that I most certainly would not take kindly to that...and further more "

The brunette was interrupted by a pair of soft lips descending onto her own, the rest of her ramble quickly becoming a distant memory as they moved their lips against each other in a dance that they had become very familiar with. Before things could progress any further however Quinn pulled away, dropping one last chaste kiss onto the brunette's lips, "I think we should keep it PG, especially with Lucas sleeping on your chest and all."

Rachel looked down at the small boy, he looked so cute in his little white dress shirt and black pants. She kissed the top of his head, rubbing his back in a soothing manner, "Do you think we're going to win?" she whispered, her eyed never leaving the small boy.

Quinn placed her hand over the diva's on his back and kissed the brunette's temple, "After that interview and the way mom wrapped it up into a nice neat little bow they would have to be a bunch of idiots not too give him to us."

" Okay " The social worker began, "I think I have got everything I need. We will be in contact with you with our final decision in a few days time." He stated as he stood up and began to collect his things.

" Do you mind if I just say something before you leave?" Judy asked politely, her voice saying he had a choice but her eyes saying there was no option. He nodded his head, knowing there really was no point arguing with the woman and took his seat again.

" Thank you." She stated cordially, taking a moment to smooth her skirt out before directing a hard glare at him, "Firstly, I want to begin by saying that your behaviour earlier on today was absolutely deplorable. You are supposed to be a professional, and as such you are supposed to be able to not let your own personal opinions and biases affect your ability to do your job  you sir, were not able to do that today. My family and I, and that includes Lucas, knew the minute you sat down exactly what you thought of us and that is just unacceptable. I understand that you may not agree with some of the choices we have made in our lives, but that doesn't give you the right to judge us you don't even know us what gives you the right to condemn us for actions when you don't know the context in which they occurred?" Judy explained, her voice rising in ire the further in her speech she became, until she was almost yelling at the man sitting opposite her.

The social worker looked down at his hands having the decency to look chastised and slightly guilty; he honestly felt like a teenager again who had just been scolded for smoking pot in his room yes he had a past as well and it wasn't all roses either. He nodded his head in agreement with all that Judy had just said, "Your right, my behaviour was absolutely unacceptable and I apologise profusely for it." He lifted his head and locked eyes with the older Fabray woman, needing for her to understand the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in, "My terrible behaviour aside, you need to realise that this situation is a very complicated one, with many facets that need to be considered many of which are not working in your favour. We are in no way trying to discredit how beneficial you and your family have been in Lucas' life and in his development but that positive does not negate all the negative. Ultimately we need to look at what is best for Lucas and I assure you our final decision will be based solely on that I will not let my personal biases or anyone else's affect our ability to make the right call."

Judy nodded her head in understanding, but wasn't prepared to let him leave her house without at least attempting to put a positive spin on some of those negative aspects, "We are all very aware that we have made some spectacularly bad decisions and explosive mistakes in our past, but I think what makes us unique is our ability to overcome these mistakes and decisions and to move on from them as better, stronger people and we would raise Lucas to do the same. I think it is ignorant to believe that anybody has gone through life without making at least one mistake, I think what distinguishes people is how they deal with it when they do and I think that we have handled ours quite nicely. Lucas is going to make mistakes in his life don't you want him to be with a family that will prepare him for the day when they actually happen and stand by him once they have?"

The social worker chuckled wryly, "You are a very persuasive woman Mrs. Fabray."

Judy smiled, "I'm not finished yet." She turned her focus to the two girls and Lucas sitting in the chair next to hers. Both girls were absolutely besotted with the small boy, he was talking animatedly with them, his hands making wild gestures he had their undivided attention, they were acting just as any good parents would they were putting their child first. "Just look at them." The older woman mused, drawing the social workers attention to the girls and Lucas, "that right there is what love looks like how can you possibly even consider breaking that apart?"

She turned her attention back to the social worker ready to deliver her final blow, "I believe in fate sir. I believe that in life there are people who are fated to be together that certain circumstances have to occur to bring those two people together. I believe that everything that happened to Rachel and everything that happened to Lucas, no matter how horrific, happened so that they would meet at that home they are meant to be together. Rachel was always going to be the person that was going to save Lucas just as Lucas was always going to be the person that was going to save Rachel."

" And how do you and your daughter fit into fates plan?" the social worker questioned.

" Well fate bought Rachel into our life just as it bought her into Lucas'. We were always supposed to be their family their support. My daughter was meant to love them, there is no doubt in my mind that she is the final point in fates triangle she is their protector. I get to see it every day I get to watch them interact with each other, that's my gift I get to see fate's work first hand, I couldn't ask for more than that."

" You are truly one amazing woman Mrs. Fabray, thank you for giving me the opportunity to see that." The man responded, in slight awe of the woman in front of him.

Judy smiled warmly at the man, locking eyes with him, "Repay me by giving us that little boy."

The two girls were just drifting off into a much needed sleep when Judy came bursting into the room, squealing in excitement, waking both girls and Lucas. The little boy pushed himself up on Rachel's chest his bleary brown eyes instantly filling with tears as a wail escaped him, "Aww " Rachel cooed, untangling herself from Quinn and standing up with the petite boy cradled to her chest. She began to sway slowly, patting Lucas on his bum gently in an attempt to soothe him, "Quinn, could you find his binky for me?" she asked, her tone gentle.

Quinn nodded her head, sleep all but forgotten as she jumped up off the couch, "I think we left it on the table in the dining room... I remember putting it down there when we heard the door bell ring earlier." She explained in passing, as she made her way to the dining room to fetch Lucas' binky. He had been sucking on it all morning, but they had taken it from him as the social worker arrived, both under the opinion that it would make a better impression if he wasn't sucking on it during the interview.

Judy made her way over to Rachel and the baby and laid her hand gently on his back, "Granny's sorry baby, she was just a little excited she didn't mean to scare you." The title was something she had become used too, it was hard not too when he addressed her as it all the time. She had even begun to refer to the girls' by their given titles when she was talking to Lucas. It had been an absolute shock when Quinn had told them what Lucas had called her, but after being given a moment to adjust it made sense that he would refer to her as such she treated him just as Rachel did, and no doubt he had been privy to a certain aspect of their relationship far longer than anyone else had. He was an observer, he had seen how other moms' and dads' had interacted with each other and their potential children at the home, so it was logical that he would make that connection with how Quinn and Rachel interacted with each other and him he was a very smart little boy.

Quinn came back into the room, binky in hand. She made her way over to the group and popped it in Lucas' mouth, the small boy instantly quieting down his wailing becoming nothing more than a few whimpers as he sucked on his binky.

The blonde dropped a kiss to the top of his head, "That's better isn't it buddy." She cooed loving, taking a small hand in her own. Lucas nodded his head against Rachel's shoulder, wrapping his hand around Quinn's thumb and squeezing. It was moments like these that reminded Judy of exactly how young Lucas' really was. He was so wise and mature that it was so easy for her to forget that he was just over a year old. I mean he had even helped her pick out a paint colour for the nursery, what one year old did that he had picked blue much to her relief his cross dressing stint becoming just a distant memory to her.

Once he had settled down again both girls turned their attention to Judy, "So " Quinn started, drawing Judy out of her thoughts, "What are you so excited about?"

The older Fabray instantly broke out into a beaming smile, "I think you are going to need to be sitting for this."

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before walking back to the couch and sitting down, "What's going on?"

Rachel questioned hesitantly. She knew it couldn't be bad news, Judy wouldn't have been squealing if it was bad news she just didn't know what could be so good that Judy was so excited.

"Okay." Judy began taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to reign in her emotions slightly, "I just got off the phone with Detective Harding the sting worked Rachel they caught one of the men who attacked your fathers'."

Rachel sat completely still if someone had asked her in that moment to explain what she was feeling she wouldn't have been able to tell them because she honestly didn't know the only word she could use to describe what she was currently feeling was numb. It's not that she wasn't happy, it's just that this was something she had resigned herself to believe would never happen and now that it actually had, she had no idea what to do. Was she supposed to be excited? Jump up and down like Judy because one of the men that took her fathers' away from her had been caught, she just didn't feel it there was no excitement in this moment for her him being caught wasn't going to bring her dads' back, what's done was done and nothing was ever going to change that. Was she supposed to be happy that justice was finally going to be served? She wasn't it wasn't justice in her eyes, he still got to live be it in a small cell, while her parents were gone for good where was the justice in that. She couldn't even muster up any anger for the low life that had killed her fathers'  she had already wasted enough of her time and emotions on him she wasn't prepared to waste anymore. He would most likely want her to get mad to hate him for what he had done but she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction, her fathers' would be proud of her.

Quinn could see the inner conflict Rachel seemed to be experiencing. The girl was completely stiff, almost as if she was in shock, but the cheerleader could tell by her eyes that she wasn't that she was merely working through things silently.

The blonde turned her focus to her mother who was looking at the brunette, concern and worry washing off her in waves, "Mom "Quinn started, needing her mother to focus on her and not Rachel she didn't want her to interrupt the girl while she tried to process everything, "You should call Danni and let her know? She could get hold of the Social Worker in charge of our case and explain what has happened it's only a matter of time now before the case is completely closed; they won't hold it over our heads anymore."

Judy smiled at her daughter, "I'm one step ahead of you. I called her right after I got off the phone; she was going to call them immediately so they had the information before they made their final decision this is really good news for us." She explained.

"So what happens now?" Rachel asked, finally tuning back into the conversation.

"We wait " Judy mused softly, "we wait for the social workers to make their decision and we wait for the police to get the names of everyone else involved we wait." Judy slowly walked over to the seated brunette and kneeled in front of her, "I know it doesn't seem like much at the moment but it's a good thing he's been caught. He can't hurt anyone else now, Okay?"

Rachel stared at Judy for a minute before turning her focus to Quinn it was one less person she had to worry about hurting Quinn, and through him the police were going to find a whole lot of other people she would no longer have to worry about hurting Quinn. She felt a smile break out onto her face, maybe they could do this maybe she could be happy with the cheerleader and not fear the worst all the time. She turned to face Judy again, "It's definitely a good thing and I don't mind waiting, as long as I have you guys waiting won't be a problem."

Judy smiled, grateful to see the brunette returning to her normal self. She took in both girls' appearances and noticed they were still dressed in their formal wear, "Why don't you two go upstairs and take a little break it's been a long day.

Go shower and freshen up and I'll watch Lucas for a while we haven't spent any time together today and I miss my Luke Luke."

Both girls looked at the small boy, "What do you say baby? You want to spend some time with granny?" Quinn cooed.

The small boy gave a tired smile before stretching out to Judy with his arms. The older Fabray took the cue and extracted him from Rachel's arms, "What do you say we go to the kitchen and get some food, huh?" Judy cooed, walking out the room with the small boy.

Both girls watched them leave before turning their attention to each other, Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her into her lap. She rested her head on the brunette's shoulder, "It's almost over baby we're in the winning stretch now."

Rachel dropped a kiss onto her lips, "I know." She murmured, "Just a little longer before we can finally close this chapter and really move on with our lives."

Quinn nodded her head, her eyes closed, just enjoying the feel of the brunette in her arms, her exhaustion catching up to her again as she felt her eyes begin to get heavy, "Come on, we should go upstairs and shower before I fall asleep again."

The brunette nodded her head before standing up, pulling the blonde up with her. The two girls wrapped their arms around each other as they slowly made their way to the stairs.

Lucas was seated in his high chair, a bowl of cheese puffs and a bottle of chocolate milk in front of him. Judy had felt he deserved a bit of a treat for behaving so well during the interview. He had a cheese puff in each hand and had been sucking on them intermittently leaving a trail of orange everywhere thank goodness for his bib, or his white shirt would most likely have needed to be trashed.

The little boy squealed in delight when the kitchen door opened to reveal Rachel. The freshly showered brunette made her way over to the small boy a faux scowl on her face, "Look at you Luke you've made such a mess."

Lucas looked down at his tray and noticed all the cheese puffs he had knocked out of the bowl, some partly chewed. He looked back up at the brunette with a cheeky smile on his face, he stretched out one of his hands with the partially sucked on cheese puff still firmly grasped within it, "Here mama." He stated, gesturing to his piece offering.

The brunette stared at him for a moment, trying desperately to hang on to some of the anger she felt but found it near impossible when he stared at her so innocently with those big brown eyes, "Thank you baby." She murmured softly, taking the cheese puff from him and throwing it in her mouth without a second thought, "but I don't want any whining at bath time tonight." She added kissing him on his head before making her way over to Judy to see if she could help with anything.

It wasn't even a minute later when Quinn walked through the door and gave Lucas the exact same look. The small boy having had so much success with it the first time that he offered Quinn the cheese puff he had gripped in his other hand, "Here mommy." The result was instantaneous, the blonde instantly softening towards him. She took the cheese puff from him and put it in her mouth, "no complaining at bath time tonight." She mumbled around the cheese puff she was still chewing on.

Lucas looked down at the bowl of cheese puffs and scratched his head completely convinced now that they were magic how else could you explain both his mommies having exactly the same reaction maybe he would have to try granny, her reaction would tell him if they were magic or not. He instantly picked up another cheese puff and began sucking furiously on it.

Judy smiled at both girls, they really had no idea how significant their last actions had been, "Well " she murmured softly when they were both within ear shot, "You are without a doubt that little boy's mothers'."

Both girls' gave the woman a confused look, "What would make you say that now?" Rachel questioned.

"You both just ate a partially chewed cheese puff without a second thought about it that's like the initiation into motherhood." Judy explained, "and trust me when I say, he is going to give you far worse things to eat as he gets older."

Judy laughed as the girls scrunched up their faces in disgust, "Oh please you won't even realise it as it's happening hind sights a bitch ladies." She stated jovially as she made her way towards the kitchen door, only stopping once when Lucas stuck out his hand with the partially chewed cheese puff for her to take.

The older woman smiled at the gesture, "I'm the grandma buddy the partially chewed food is for your moms'." She explained warmly, dropping a kiss to his head before leaving the room.

Lucas looked down at the cheese puff in his hand before dropping it on the table, picking up his bottle instead well there goes the possibility of the magic cheese puffs.

It only took two days for the social worker to come to a decision regarding their case. They couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not, but as they sat in their living room opposite the man who held the final decision in his hands, they prayed that it was a good thing.

Rachel was clinging to Lucas as if her life depended on it and Quinn was clinging to her they had no idea what they were going to do if this didn't go their way  they just knew they didn't want to let the little boy go.

"Well " the social worker began, "It turns out your situation wasn't as complicated as I thought In fact once the panel sat down together to discuss it, it turned out to be a pretty open and shut case." He stared at them all carefully gauging each one of their reactions before continuing, "After careful consideration the panel came to a unanimous decision that it would be in the best interest of Lucas if he continued to live here with you for the foreseeable future."

All three women breathed a sigh of relief, Rachel instantly throwing her arms around Quinn's neck and pulling her into a hug, Lucas squashed between them as usual although he didn't seem to mind too much at that moment. Judy shook the man's hand and led him to the door, promising to call so they could hammer out all the final details, before returning to the girls and joining in the celebration.

I can't believe it." Rachel murmured against Quinn's shoulder, Judy having taken Lucas and was now dancing around the living room with him, "This is real right? I mean we actually won right?"

Quinn leant down and connected her lips to the brunette's, "We won baby." She murmured against the diva's lips, "Lucas isn't going anywhere."

Rachel felt tears spring to her eyes, the emotions finally catching up to her. She nuzzled her head into Quinn's neck and just stood there, both girls needing to feel the unconditional love the other had for them at that moment. It had been an emotional roller coaster the last few weeks and too know now that it was finally over was an amazing, overwhelming experience.

"I'm going to call my phone book and let everyone know." Judy yelled excitedly as she left the room causing both girls to chuckle lightly.

A light tugging on Quinn's pants drew both girls' attention down to the small boy staring up at them, "We won." He stated softly, a toothy grin on his face.

Quinn wasn't actually sure if he knew what they had actually won, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. She bent down and picked him up, holding him in one arm and Rachel in the other, "Yeah buddy, we won you get to stay with us now."

He smiled at Quinn before turning his focus to Rachel, a frown forming on his face, "Why cry mama?" he questioned, wiping a tear from her face with his small hand. The brunette took his hand in hers and kissed his palm, "These are happy tears baby. Mama is just so happy that we get to keep you." She murmured, kissing both his cheeks and his forehead.

Lucas stared at her for a moment, before nodding his head and resting it on Quinn's shoulder, his hand cupping the brunette's cheek, "No cry mama." He murmured. Rachel nodded her head and wiped her eyes, "Okay baby mama wont cry anymore." Quinn stared down at Lucas and Rachel and wondered, not for the first time since all this happened, how she had managed to get so lucky.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A/N: Okay guys...here is the next chapter. This chapter progresses the story with regards to the case and allows us to see another aspect of Lucas related to the disorder he was born with. Also one of my reviewers requested some sexy times, so there may or may not be some in this chapter as well :)  
>  My twin sister helped a lot with this chapter, she provided me with lots of good ideas and pushed me to write whenever I had a free moment...so she deserves lots of credit :)_
> 
> _Thank you so much for all the reviews, it means so much to know that you guys are all enjoying this story. Thank you so much for sticking with it...we are in the winning stretch now, I forsee only about 3 more chapters after this one. Keep the reviews coming...let's finish this story on a high note :)_
> 
> _All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance.  
>  Disclaimer: I do not own glee or any of it's character's, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily. _

**_Chapter 11_ **

 

_ Sunday _

 

Rachel and Quinn lay facing each other on the blonde's bed, sheets pooled around their waists nothing but sweat drenched skin on display. Quinn held the panting brunette flush against her, one hand resting firmly against the diva's lower back, the other running soothingly through her hair. She placed a series of soft, gentle kisses to the top of the girl's head and temple, "Are you okay?" she murmured softly.

Rachel nodded her head against the girl's chest where it had been resting just above her breasts, her leg hooked around Quinn's waist, "I'm more than okay." She murmured, pulling back slightly so she could look into warm hazel eyes, "I'm feeling fantastic right now."

The blonde blushed a deep red, pulling the brunette so that her head was pillowed against her chest once more, "So you don't regret it?" she questioned hesitantly, her tone clearly conveying the vulnerability she felt in that moment. "No baby " She whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss to the girl's breast bone, "I could never regret that." Quinn breathed a silent sigh of relief, "Good I don't regret it either."

Rachel nodded her head, breathing in deeply as she snuggled further into the blonde, loving the feeling of being so close to someone and not just physically, but emotionally as well. It wasn't like they had planned to have sex when they woke up that morning, but they had ended up being home alone and things had escalated as they often did when the girls found themselves alone.

As far as first times went, it had been perfect in Rachel's eyes Quinn had been gentle and attentive, making sure she was comfortable the entire time she had never felt so loved in her entire life. They had taken their time exploring one another, learning each other's bodies it had been the most amazing experience of her life.

Quinn dropped her hand from the diva's back to the curve of her ass, running her fingers lightly along the skin there, "Do you know what time Lucas and mom are due back?" she whispered seductively.

Rachel shivered as the blonde's hand travelled further south, her leg clenching tightly around the blonde's hip. She picked her head up just enough to peak over the girl's shoulder at the bed side clock, "Not for a few hours still." She husked, her lips instantly finding the cheer leader's neck.

Judy had left to attend her book club, just as she did every Sunday, only this time she had taken Lucas with her because all the ladies had been dying to meet him since she had told them about him. It was usually an all morning affair, starting with breakfast and ending with lunch leaving the girls with plenty of time.

Quinn squeezed Rachel's ass, attempting to pull her even closer, "and th-then we have the barbeque at Puck's?" she questioned, arching her neck to give the diva more access.

"Mmhmm." The diva hummed in acknowledgement, her lips far to occupied to actually form words.

"So if my calculations are correct." She moaned, running her hand up and down the thigh that was hooked around her waist, "This will be our only opportunity to do this again for the rest of the day."

Rachel eagerly nodded her in agreement, quickly pushing the blonde onto her back and straddling her waist, "I really, really like that idea." She husked before leaning forward and connecting their lips in a passionate kiss.

The blonde smiled into the kiss, opening her mouth and granting the diva the access she had so desperately been asking for. There was seriously nothing hotter than a naked Rachel Berry writhing above her. She wrapped her arms around the girl's back and sat up, opening her legs slightly so that the brunette was sitting comfortably between them, their centres making direct contact for the first time.

"Oh god." Rachel moaned, her head dropping to the blonde's shoulder as she thrust her hips forward, their clits meeting more firmly.

Quinn placed a kiss to the brunette's temple before burying her head into the girl's neck, "Feels so good baby." She panted, her breath hitching with each and every delicious clash of their centres.

They moved against each other in a rhythm that was so new and yet so familiar at the same time. They had never experienced anything like it before in their lives and yet it felt as if they were made to do it together it was innate, it was natural, it was instinctual it was perfect. Rachel could feel a tightening within her abdomen, her orgasm approaching fast. She pulled back from Quinn slightly, chocolate seeking out hazel, "You close?" she groaned softly, moving a lock of blonde hair off of a sweat drenched forehead. The blonde nodded her head, her nose nuzzling against the side of the other girl's face as they increased the pace of their thrusts.

The next few moments were filled with nothing but breathy moans as the girls panted into each other's ears, the sound of their wet centres meeting forming the backing track to their duet. It took one final thrust of the blonde's hips for their coils to snap and their orgasms to hurtle through their bodies. The two girls clung to each other for dear life as they shook against one another until they finally collapsed onto the bed, the brunette on top of the blonde.

"We are so doing that again " Rachel mumbled tiredly, "and soon."

Quinn chuckled wryly, "You definitely won't hear any complaints from me." She stated softly, placing a tender kiss to the girl's head before closing her eyes and letting the steady rhythm of Rachel's breathing lull her to sleep.

The two girls had woken up 2 hours later, giving them only half an hour to shower and get ready for the barbeque before Judy and Lucas arrived home which was more than enough time considering they had decided to shower together, you know to save water.

They had only been cuddling on the couch in the living room for about 5 minutes when Judy came through the door with a very agitated and frustrated Lucas cradled to her chest. It had been the book club from hell, with Lucas clinging to her the whole time, a continuous stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. He refused to interact with any of the other ladies and screamed blue murder if Judy did anything but pace around the room with him she literally did not sit down once, her legs were actually killing her.

They had taken him to see their doctor earlier in the week when he had begun to complain about a pain in his ear, which had turned out to be a mild inner ear infection. So Judy had expected him to be more subdued than usual, but his actual behaviour was on a whole other level to what she had expected it was like he was a completely different child.

She had read up on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and was therefore aware of all the possible side effects and consequences that were associated with the condition, but had convinced herself that delayed development was the only one that applied to Lucas that was until she took him to her book club.

A possible symptom of the disorder was an inability to function in a social situation or relationship, with the person often having difficulty forming bonds with other people in other words; they tended to be socially awkward. She had never associated Lucas with this as he always interacted so easily with the family, but after seeing how uncomfortable and downright scared he was around the ladies in her book club she wasn't so sure anymore It was definitely something they were going to have to keep a careful eye on.

Rachel and Quinn made their way towards the duo. Lucas, upon seeing them, instantly outstretched his arms, a small whimper escaping his lips.

The brunette instantly took him from Judy, cradling him to her chest as he broke out into full blown sobs, "What happened?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

"Apparently he doesn't like my book club." Judy mused, eye brows furrowed in concern as she stared at the sobbing boy.

"Why would that be?" Quinn questioned, running her fingers through his hair. "I mean they all seem nice enough?"

"They are " Judy responded, "I just don't think he felt very comfortable being in a room with a group of people he didn't know, all cooing and attempting to touch him." She moved around the trio and made her way to the couch, instantly collapsing onto it, "Add the ear infection to that and you have yourself one very unhappy camper."

Quinn dropped a kiss to the small boy's head, "I think we may need to use the Ergo Baby Carrier at the barbeque today." At the mere mention of the barbeque Lucas released a piercing wail, startling both girls. "I don't think he wants to go." Rachel murmured. "We can't just not go Rach. The whole barbeque is the Glee clubs way of welcoming Lucas to the family." Quinn explained.

Rachel stared at Lucas and then up at Quinn, "You're right " she sighed, "You're right, we have to go." She looked down at Lucas, "Plus we can always leave if he gets to uncomfortable."

Quinn kissed the brunette's temple, giving Lucas' hand a small squeeze, "Absolutely." She responded, "I'll go get the carrier."

It took both girls about 5 minutes to get the fussy little boy into the carrier, but once he was in with the sleep hood on, serving the dual purpose of protecting him from prying eyes and his ears from wind, he instantly calmed down, completely relaxing against the diva's chest.

With a silent sigh of relief and a final check of their supplies, they left, heading in the direction of Puck's barbeque the glee club anxiously awaiting their arrival.

By the time they arrived at Puck's place Lucas was fast asleep, having dozed off about 2 minutes into the car ride, the comfort of his baby carrier and the smooth soothing movement of the car proving too much for him.

Puck met the girls at the front door, a beaming smile on his face, "Hello ladies." He exclaimed, ducking his head slightly so he could see Lucas under his hood, "How are you all doing this fine day?"

Quinn rolled her eyes at the boys antics, a teasing smile on her face, "Are you sure you don't just want to find out how Lucas is?"

Puck returned to his upright standing position, smirking at the two girls. He leant forward and took the baby bags from the blonde, "You caught me I don't care about you ladies at all. I really just want to find out about my main man."

Rachel playfully smacked his chest, "I'm feeling the love Jew Bro." she stated sarcastically. Puck laughed at the diva's antics, he loved their easy banter. He was more than aware how lucky he was to be allowed to see this side of the girls, they didn't share it with just anybody, and to know that he was one of the few they trusted enough to share their true selves with well, it made him feel blessed and eternally grateful.

"All joking aside though, how are you all?" Puck asked a fond smile on his face.

Rachel turned to look at the blonde, a warm smile gracing her face as she leant back into the other girl, "I can quite safely say I feel amazing today." She stated softly, her eyes never leaving Quinn.

Quinn bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to reign in the beaming smile that was threatening to break out. She wrapped her arm around the diva's waist and rested her lips against the girl's temple, "I feel really good today as well." She murmured, addressing Rachel more than Puck.

Puck watched the girls interact with each other, a smirk on his face. If there was one thing Noah Puckerman was an expert at identifying it was sexual undertones he knew exactly when a relationship had progressed to sex, and from what he was seeing now the constant need for physical contact, the increased levels of affection, the long meaningful glances they all screamed sex, "You two have totally had "

"And as you've seen Lucas is sleeping, so do you have somewhere for us to lay him down?" Rachel stated in a rush, interrupting the boy before he finished his observation.

Puck opened his mouth, about to tease them about their new development when he noticed the blonde glaring at him, a slight blush dusting her cheeks. He held his hands up in surrender before nodding his head with a cheeky smile, letting the girls know that he was dropping it for now, but the teasing was definitely still coming, "Sure, we can lay him on the couch." He stated, walking to the living room, the girls following close behind.

"Thanks." Rachel murmured, removing the sleeping baby from his carrier and gently laying him on the chair, Quinn placing a pillow next to him to prevent him from falling off the couch, "He hasn't been very happy today, so I think it's best if he sleeps for as long as possible.

Puck nodded his head in understanding, "I'll tell the guys not to come through the house this way give the little guy some peace and quiet."

"Thanks Puck." Quinn whispered softly, extracting his teddy bear from the bag and placing it next to him on the couch. Puck waved his hand nonchalantly, "No problem. Now let's go, the other gleeks are waiting to see you guys." He explained, leading the girls to the backyard.   


It had been 30 minutes since the girls had arrived at the barbeque and everything had been going well, the girls were having a good time relaxing with friends and Lucas was still asleep, much to their relief.

Quinn walked up behind the diva, who was standing with Mercedes and Tina, and wrapped her arms around her waist, she just couldn't get enough of the girl, she wanted to be near her and touching her all the time no amount of contact was enough contact. She dropped a kiss to the brunette's neck, leaving her lips resting against her skin.

Rachel closed her eyes, relishing in the feelings the blonde ignited within her, "Hi." She whispered softly.

"Hi." Quinn mumbled in response, the gentle brush of her lips against the brunette's skin causing a shiver to course through the girl's body.

The two girls were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice the scene they were causing in fact they had flat out forgotten that nobody but Puck was aware of their romantic relationship.

"What the hell!" Santana exclaimed, causing both girls to visibly cringe, "I knew you were close and shit but I never expected this."

Quinn spun around slowly to face the latina, her arms still wrapped around Rachel's waist. She had no idea how they were going to explain their way out of this one and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She didn't want to have to hide anymore, she wanted their friends to know how much she loved the other girl but if Rachel still didn't feel comfortable with people knowing, if the prospect still hurt her, then "Quinn and I are dating." Rachel stated resolutely, a proud smile on her face.

The blonde stared in awe at the brunette in her arms, "I thought you didn't want people to know?" she questioned softly. Rachel spun in the girl's arms and wrapped her arms around her neck. She didn't see the point in keeping it quiet anymore after everything that the two of them had been through, she couldn't imagine her life without the girl and frankly she never wanted to, "I'm so in love with you Quinn and I want all our friends to know that." She explained, pulling the cheer leader down slightly to connect their lips.

The blonde sighed in relief against the other girl's lips. She wrapped her arms tighter around the diva, pulling until their bodies were flush against each other. She placed one final peck to the brunette's lips before pulling back slightly and resting her forehead against the other girl's, a loving smile on her face, "You make me so happy Rach." She murmured quietly.

The brunette stared down at her feet, her hands nervously playing with the fine hairs on Quinn's neck, she was ready to do this but she needed the blonde to understand that she was still nervous about this that all her insecurities were still there, "I'm still so scared Quinn," she stated, voice quivering, "but I'm going to try so just be patient with me, Okay?"

"Always baby." Quinn answered sincerely, "You don't even have to ask." She had been patient up to this point and she would continue to be she would wait for the rest of her life if that's what it took.

Rachel nodded her thanks, burying her head into the blonde's chest, savouring in the feeling of safety she always got when she was in Quinn's arms. A loud squeal of delight drew the entire glee clubs attention to Kurt, who was fist pumping the air, "I knew it." He exclaimed excitedly before noticing the curious glances he was receiving from everyone. He sobered instantly, brushing a strand of hair of his face, "I mean I'm very happy for you."

Santana turned her attention away from Kurt back to the girls, shaking her head in distaste, "Enough of this sappy shit Puck pop open some bottles of booze, Santana needs to get her drunk on if she's going to survive this barbeque."

Both Rachel and Quinn opened their mouths to protest but were beaten to the punch by Puck, "Nah San no booze today. Not with a baby in the house."

Santana sighed in faux frustration before reluctantly acquiescing with a small smile, "Fine just smack some meat on the grill and let's get this thing started."

Lucas rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a clenched fist, the sound of distant music playing having roused him. He looked around the room, instantly sitting up when he didn't recognise anything.

"Ma." He whimpered, his chin beginning to quiver with the need to cry.

When he received no response, fear began to settle in had they left him? He crawled to the edge of the couch and carefully backed off bum first. Once his feet hit the floor, he began to walk to the first door he could see he needed to find his mommies.

As he walked through the door he hit into a hard surface and was knocked backwards onto his bum. He looked up to see what had assaulted him and what he saw made his blood run cold.

Finn lowered onto his haunches in front of the small boy, "Hey buddy." He stated with a goofy smile, "I'm Finn."

Lucas instantly backed away from the tall boy, his back hitting the wall. He looked around the room, feeling tears well in his eyes as he saw so many faces he didn't know and none that he did. His breath was coming out in watery gasps as he turned and crawled rapidly in the direction he came he needed to get away from them.

As he rounded the corner he ran into another pair of legs. He had nowhere he could go, so he clenched his eyes shut hoping that if he couldn't see them, then they couldn't see him. He was shaking like a leaf, tears now streaming down his face he didn't know where he was, where his mommies were and he was beyond scared.

Puck stared down at a quivering Lucas, worry and concern evident on his face. He knelt down in front of the small boy, "Hey Luke what's wrong buddy?" he cooed softly, his tone expressing all the love and gentleness he felt for the boy. Lucas head instantly snapped up at the sound of Puck's voice. He threw himself into the man's arms, so grateful for having found someone he knew, "No-No." he exhaled shakily in relief. "Ma .Mom?" he asked, gesturing with his tiny arms that he didn't know where they were, his small form shaking against Puck's chest.

The mohawked boy held the small boy tightly to him, knowing he likely needed the comfort and security he could provide him with, "Come on." He murmured, kissing the boy's cheek as he stood up and began walking towards the back patio, "I'll take you to your moms."

The minute that Lucas saw Quinn and Rachel seated on one of the pool loungers he released a sob of relief, arms automatically stretching out to the two women. Rachel, who was seated between Quinn's legs, took the sobbing boy from Puck and held him tightly to her chest, whispering nonsensical reassurances to him until he calmed down.

"Gone." He mumbled into the skin of Rachel's neck, his eyes finding Quinn's over the brunette's shoulder.

"Did you think we left you?" Quinn questioned softly, her heart breaking slightly when he nodded, "I'm sorry baby." She cooed, placing a gentle kiss on his nose.

"We'll never leave you, Okay?" Rachel explained gently, "We'll always be close, so just look around and you'll find us okay?"

Lucas sniffled, wiping his nose on the diva's shirt, "Okay." He mumbled softly, relaxing into the feeling of warmth being with his mommies provided him with.

"You feeling better now?" Quinn cooed, wrapping her arms around both Rachel and Lucas and cradling them to her chest.

"Yeah." He murmured his little fists still clenched tightly against the diva's chest.

"Good." Rachel murmured placing a kiss to his temple; she closed her eyes and rested her head against Quinn's chest, loving the feeling of having the two most important people in her life close safe and happy once more.

After that little bit of drama, everything returned back to relative normal, with everyone enjoying themselves including Lucas who spent most of his time 'helping' Puck with the barbeque. He was his usual calm, happy self provided Quinn and Rachel were always visible. There had been one interesting conversation; well more of an argument actually, between Puck and Rachel about what the boys could do with Lucas. Everything he suggested, she vetoed. He suggested football it was too dangerous, video games violent and not stimulating enough, taking him for a ride on the four wheelers to young and dangerous.

After about 45 minutes of still not being able to agree on something Sam had suggested swimming, which turned out to be the resolution to the pseudo argument as Puck didn't mind swimming, hell he owned his own pool cleaning business, and Rachel felt it would be okay because they would all be present to make sure nothing happened to the small boy. So it had been decided they would all be swimming after lunch.

A short while later Rachel and Quinn were seated facing each other on the pool lounger they had claimed as their own for the afternoon, Lucas situated between them on the brunette's lap. The blonde picked up a piece of apple, from Lucas' pre packed lunch, and handed it to the small boy who instantly started to gnaw and suck on it.

Once she was satisfied that he was safely enjoying his own food, she turned her attention to her own char-grilled bacon cheese burger. She picked up her own plate, preparing herself for what she was sure was heaved on a bread roll completely oblivious to two little eyes staring hungrily at her.

Lucas licked his lips, his eyes moving from Quinn's burger to his apple piece and back to Quinn's burger. Without a second thought he thrust his apple over his shoulder to Rachel, who instantly took it and plopped it into her mouth, and then placed his now free hand on the blonde's arm drawing her attention to him and his wide open mouth.

The blonde smiled at the small boy, "Do you want some?" the emphatic nod that she received in response made her laugh, "Okay .but only a little bit." She opened her bread roll and removed the strip of bacon, Lucas watching the small piece of pork intently a trail of drool running down his chin. Quinn tore a bit of bacon off the strip with her teeth before removing it from her mouth and placing it in his. "Chew it carefully." She admonished, when it appeared as if he was going to attempt to swallow it whole just so he could get more, "Bacon is a gift it deserves to be savoured."

It was the sound of a fork clattering to a plate that drew the little family's attention to their friends, their faces all revealing the same horrified expression.

"What?" Quinn questioned, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sam pointed his finger at Rachel, "Did you just eat the apple piece he had been sucking on?" At the nod of her head he turned and sent a pointed look at the blonde, "And did you just chew food and feed it to him?"

"I didn't chew it," she defended, a light blush on her cheeks, "I simply bit a small piece off and then gave it to him No chewing involved."

"It was in your mouth." Mercedes explained slowly, "and then it was in his that's just gross."

"I used my teeth as a knife There is nothing gross about that." Quinn explained, "And there is nothing gross about eating something that Luke has had in his mouth it prevents wastage."

"That's it " Santana exclaimed, pushing her plate of food away from her, "I officially feel to nauseous to eat." she stared at the trio, "Thanks so much for that."

Quinn turned her attention back to Rachel and Lucas with a role of her eyes, biting another piece of bacon off and giving it to the small boy, "Well, we're going to carry on enjoying our lunch...if you have a problem with that and want to starve yourself as a result," she glared at Santana, "Well then that's your problem."

There was a few disgruntled murmurs before everyone, including Santana, dropped the subject and returned to their food trying their best to ignore the trio sitting with them. Puck was messing around with Lucas in the shallow end of the pool, pretending he was going to throw him into the water, tossing him up in the air and catching him just as his bum disappeared below the surface. Lucas appeared to be enjoying the activity if his squeals of delight and constant calls of 'again' were anything to go by.

Puck watched the other boys messing around in the deep end for a bit, before turning pleading eyes to Rachel, holding Lucas under his arms out in front of him, looking equally as desperate, "Please can we go play in the deep end?" Puck begged, wiggling Lucas from side to side, "We promise to be careful."

Rachel lifted her head from the pool float she was sharing with Brittany, the two of them being the only girls who had opted to 'get in' the pool. She lifted her sunglasses onto her head and stared intently at the matching puppy dog eyes and pouted lips being directed at her, "I don't think that's such a good idea." She stated hesitantly. Puck pulled Lucas back to his chest and whispered something in his ear before holding back out in front of him, "Please ma." He pleaded softly. Rachel bit her lip, she could feel her restraint slipping, "You're not playing fair Noah." Puck pulled Lucas back to his chest and whispered in his ear again before offering him back to Rachel, "Play wif da boys." He explained, biting his bottom lip in a way that was so reminiscent of Quinn she felt her heart flutter a little bit.

She sighed before reluctantly nodding her head, "Okay but I swear to god Noah if he gets hurt, I'll make you regret it." Puck whooped in celebration, "Don't worry Rach, I'll make sure nothing happens to him." He exclaimed as he walked towards the rest of the boys in the deep end. 

"And don't get his ears wet Puck!" Quinn yelled from the side of the pool where she was tanning with the rest of the girls and Blaine and Kurt. Puck felt an involuntary shiver run through him when he noticed the glare Quinn had fixed him with. He turned to look at the small boy in his arms, "That look right there " he pointed to the blonde, "is exactly why we asked your ma if we could swim in the deep end and not your mom."

Lucas looked over Puck's shoulder, giving the blonde a beaming smile and a wave, her whole demeanour instantly softening as she waved back. He turned to Puck and shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'Nothing to it.' The mohawked boy couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face he had never been more proud.

After several rounds of the game the boys had dubbed 'Puck protects Lucas from all the other boys in the pool because he's scared of them' they had settled into some good old fashioned rough housing.

All had been going well until the boys got a little carried away and Sam, in a series of unfortunate events, ended up drenching Puck and Lucas when a wave of water directed at Finn missed its target. All the boys instantly stopped and held their breaths, praying that the drenched baby would shake it off and laugh but knowing deep down that that was unlikely. There was a collective drop of heads and one muttered 'shit' when the first spluttered whimper come cough escaped.

Quinn's head instantly snapped up at the sound, Lucas immediately bursting into tears when he noticed her staring, "Mommy!" he wailed, arms outstretched towards the blonde. Rachel and Brittany, who had both drifted off, woke with a start at the sound of Lucas' cries. Having temporarily forgotten where they were, they both sat up, throwing the pool float off balance and them into the water.

The attention of everyone was drawn to the two girls in the shallow end for only seconds before returning to Quinn, who was now stalking around the pool towards Puck and Lucas.

Santana, Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine were all watching the blonde intently, "Let's welcome the return of the HBIC everybody." Kurt mused.

"Those boys are going to wish that was the HBIC." Santana responded, "I know the HBIC Hell, I helped to create her, and that " she stated, pointing at the fuming blonde, "is not her."

Blaine leant forward, looking at the three people lying next to him, "I think we're about to witness Quinn in mama bear mode." He explained an amused look on his face. Just as they all turned back to watch the blonde a pair of long tanned legs walking past them drew their attention.

Santana dropped her glasses to the edge of her nose, her eyes unable to leave a clearly wet, very angry Rachel Berry, "I have never seen the midget behave like that it's so hot." She stated, still slightly distracted by the diva's form, "Angry looks good on her."

"Ewwww " Mercedes exclaimed, finally snapping Santana out of her reverie, "Can we all please just pretend that you never said that?"

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement before turning to the girls once more, "Here comes the fireworks everybody." Santana stated quietly, experiencing somewhat of a sadistic sense of pleasure at the situation the boys found themselves in. Quinn knelt down at the edge of the pool, her arms outstretched in front of her, "Give him to me Puck," she stated firmly.

Puck slowly began to wade his way through the water towards the blonde, his attention completely focussed on the wailing boy in his arms. "I'm sorry buddy," he cooed softly, trying to make eye contact with the boy only to have him look away.

"I'm serious Puck  Give him here, NOW!" She fumed. Puck continued to try and get Lucas to look at him, but the crying baby would have none of it, moving his head every time the older boy attempted to look at him from a different angle... He felt his heart break a little, he knew that Lucas had trust issues, but was really hoping that this incident hadn't messed-up their dynamic completely  He was supposed to protect him, "I'm really sorry buddy," he murmured softly.

Quinn could see how clearly distressed the poor little boy was and it was driving her insane that she couldn't reach him yet, "Puck!" She yelled, "I swear to God you do not want me to get into this pool."

Puck closed the final distance and passed the eagerly squirming baby to the cheer leader. The blonde held him against her chest, wrapping the towel she bought with her around his wet, shivering form, "Shhh, baby you're okay. I got you, you're okay." She murmured, kissing the top of his head. While all that was going down Rachel had cornered the other boys to see them all cowering under her intense gaze and 5ft. 2 stature was quite amusing.

"What possessed you to think that rough housing could possibly be a good idea when there was an infant in the pool!" she yelled.

"Aww, c'mon Rach. It wasn't we never uh..he was " Finn stuttered, instantly stopping when she sent a death glare in his direction.

"I don't want to hear you're excuses and frankly I don't care who did it." She stared directly at a very embarrassed and guilty blonde, "You are all to blame in my eyes and I just want you all to know how lucky you are today." She explained,

"Because if this happens again I can assure you that I won't be nearly so kind." She glared at the group for a moment before spinning on her foot and walking towards Quinn and Lucas, both girls turning and heading into the house.

 

They had left the barbeque soon after the pool incident; Lucas had become very cranky, and thus quite unmanageable, crying and clinging needily to the girls. They knew it was most likely due to a combination of exhaustion, as a result of the day's excitement, and frustration as a result of the continuous pain in his ear so they had decided to take him home to sleep.

The rest of the evening had passed by rather uneventfully. The bathed and fed Lucas ensuring that they gave him his antibiotics, before finally settling the very uncomfortable and distressed little boy on the couch in the living room to watch Aladdin with his genie, abu and grandma.

Rachel had spoken with Puck on the phone reassuring the boy that the whole thing with Lucas would blow over, that little boy loved Puck and probably only reacted that way due to the continuous discomfort he felt as a result of the ear infection. Judy had suggested that Lucas sleep with them that night when it quickly became apparent that he didn't want to be by himself, moaning loudly when they tried to put him in his cot but instantly calming the minute he was cuddled to someone.

The brunette had paced the room with Lucas for about an hour when trying to put him to sleep, singing softly to him, and giving him a bottle of warm milk at Judy's suggestion. When that didn't appear to work they had laid the small boy down on Quinn's chest, so that he could hear her heart beat they had hoped the continuous rhythmic thumping would relax him and eventually lull him to sleep. Rachel had curled into Quinn's side on the bed, her hand resting over Lucas' ear, the warmth that it offered providing him with some relief. It was only moments before the three had fallen asleep, grateful for the temporary reprieve it provided them with.

 

_ Monday _

 

Detective Harding was seated in his office at the precinct sorting through some of the documents that had been collected from Michael Baxter's apartment. They had spent a week trying to convince the man to provide them with the names of everyone else involved, but that proved to be futile as he refused to speak, choosing rather to enforce his right to remain silent. Therefore they had no other choice but to go down the warrant route in an attempt to obtain the information they needed.

They had spent several hours on Sunday searching his place with a fine tooth comb, boxing up any and all documents in the hopes that at least one would provide them with an idea of who else was involved. He and his team had already spent the better part of their Monday pouring over the documents, looking for anything that could have been considered as out of the ordinary any irregularities that might have lead them to their next culprit.

The Detective threw the electricity bills that he had been examining for the last hour down onto his desk and leant back in his chair, running a hand through his hair several times, before dragging it down his face and cupping his chin. He was beyond frustrated with the fact that they had made absolutely no progress since having obtained the documents, which meant that they most likely did not hold the answers to all of their questions, and that well that just pissed him off.

"Detective Harding." Officer Beare called, drawing the man's attention to him, "I'm sorry to disturb you sir " the younger man stated, "but I think you need to see this." He added gesturing to the papers in his hand.

Detective Harding nodded his head, standing up and gesturing for the officer to enter his office. The young man walked over to the detective and stood next to him, placing the document on the desk in front of the man. Detective Harding stared down at the paper and quickly identified it as a detailed telephone bill, listing all the numbers that had been called over the last month, "Alright what exactly am I supposed to be seeing?"

The officer pointed to a specific number that appeared several times on the account, "It was called at least once a day for the last month." He explained.

Detective Harding furrowed his brow in confusion, "That's the precinct number." he stated, "What possible reason could he have to need to " he trailed off, everything all of a sudden falling into place, "Oh my god." He murmured. He stared down at the phone bill and noticed two additional numbers added to the end of the number an extension. He looked up at the young officer, "I need you to find out whose extension that is immediately!"

Officer Beare nodded his head and hurriedly left the man's office to do as asked, leaving the detective alone with his thoughts. It was all beginning to make sense how they always seemed to be one step ahead of them they had someone on the inside. Someone who was informing them of their plans, probably of any progress they had been making he had never been more thankful that he had decided to limit the number of people involved in this case to just his team to just people he could trust.

Not even a minute later Officer Beare came charging back into his office, not bothering to knock on the door, "Its Rod Ellis sir." He panted, tired from having sprinted from the other side of the office. The detective collapsed into his chair, the room beginning to spin as the realisation of the situation came crashing down, "Rod " the detective murmured. The reason why the person knew to break into the house the day Rachel would be home alone, why Rod just so happened to be away from his post when it happened, the reason he seemed to upset when Judy insisted he be replaced  "Oh my god." He stated lowly with a shake of his head how could he not have seen this before.

He stood up from his chair; eyes clenched shut against the spinning, "Where is he now?"

"His shift ended about 30 minutes ago. I tried his house phone and his mobile he's not answering either." Officer Beare explained.

"We need to find him now!" Detective Harding stated urgently, tapping his closed fist against the wood surface of his desk. At the young officer's nod he stood straight up, grabbing his jacket of the back of his chair, "Gather the team and meet me in conference room 1, we need to delegate roles to ensure we catch this bastard as fast as possible I want to make sure we leave no stone unturned."

As the two made their way out of the office, Detective Harding noticed two police officers walking into the precinct and recognized them instantly as the ones that were presently scheduled to be on duty at the Fabray house. He froze, his blood instantly running cold as his sixth sense shifted into overdrive something definitely wasn't right.

The detective instantly made his way towards the two officers, grabbing the one closest to him by the collar of his shirt, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the Fabray house?" he hissed, the anger and frustration he felt at Rod at himself at the situation in general, being misdirected onto the officer.

"This guy came to relieve us, said you needed us back at the precinct." The officer explained, eyes wide with fear.

"What guy?" the detective fumed, his grip on the officer's collar tightening.

"I don't know, I can't remember his name he doesn't work on our team." The officer stated, voice beginning to rise slightly in with the fear he felt.

"I suggest you think carefully " the detective stated in a dangerously low tone, "Now Who. Was. It?"

"It was Rod .I don't know his surname. I just know him as Rod." The other officer answered from behind his partner, thankful that his friend had entered the room in front of him. The detective let go of the officer's collar with a jerk, "Shit!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A/N: Okay...here is the next chapter. I am so sorry I made you wait so long for this one after how the last one ended, but my sister and I kept on coming up with more and more plot points that we wanted to cover so it ended up being quite lengthy. This is the climax of this story guys...this is where everything goes down, the next 2 or 3 chapters will be the concluding chapters...definitely more fluffy than this one :)_
> 
> _Thank you all so much for reading this story. I love all the reviews, alerts and favourites it has received. Keep them coming...I love to hear what you guys have been thinking._
> 
> _All spelling and grammatical errors are my own (although my sister does proof read, so if there are mistakes...she deserves some of the blame and I apologise for them in advance._
> 
> _Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily._

**_Chapter 12_ **

 

Judy had just finished editing her fifth article of the day when her phone rang. She had married Russell right out of  university and therefore never got to put her English degree to good us  that is until after the divorce. She is still slightly shocked and pleasantly surprised that the Lima Gazette decided to take a chance and hire her, a middle aged woman with no experience, as one of three editors for the paper she would forever be grateful to them for giving her a chance to prove herself.

 She leant across the desk and picked up the receiver, a warm smile gracing her face as her eyes landed on the framed picture standing on the corner of her desk of Rachel and Quinn cuddling on the living room couch, Lucas squashed between them. She lifted the receiver to her ear, "Hello, this is Judy Fabray at the Lima Gazette. How can I help you?"

"Judy, it's Kevin," Detective Harding stated hastily.

Judy smile turned into a full on grin at the sound of the man's voice, "Hello Kevin," she mused playfully. "Let me guess this is you calling to cancel our coffee date for the third time? If you keep this up you might give a girl a"

"Judy " Kevin stated sombrely, interrupting Judy mid sentence. He couldn't really tell you exactly when the nature of their relationship changed, but he knew that it had. It had started with a few phone calls that were completely unrelated to the case and had progressed to a few coffee dates when he could actually find the time to go on them. It had been years since he had been in a relationship with someone, so he had convinced himself that he was incapable of the feelings associated with a romantic attraction until Judy Fabray and her family walked into his life. He had felt an instant connection to the woman which had only developed and gotten stronger with time and the progression of their relationship. It was through this connection with Judy that he became bonded to the girls and Lucas he was no longer objective in this situation; it had become personal to him. It was no longer about catching the bad guy, it was about protecting those that were important to him about punishing those that had wronged him and those he could potentially come to love.

Judy instantly felt a feeling of dread settle into the pit of her stomach upon hearing his tone of voice. She inhaled shakily, "What's going on?" she asked, her voice quivering with fear.

"Do you know where the girls are?" he asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Th-they were here about uh about 20 minutes ago to to fetch Lucas. They were going home." Judy rambled; panic beginning to settle in, "Why? What's going on?"

Kevin sighed resignedly, knowing without a doubt that the girls were with Rod as they spoke, "Do you remember Rod? He used to patrol outside your house."

"Yes," Judy stated, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What's that got to do with anything?"

"We found out today that he was involved in the murder of the Berry men " he explained slowly, somewhat cautiously, "he's with the girls right now."

Judy felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get enough air. He was with her family they were most likely scared and she wasn't there to make it better for them. She pushed her chair out with a screech and instantly began collecting her things, the receiver resting between her ear and shoulder.

Detective Harding frowned when he heard all the fluttering through the phone, "What are you doing?" he asked, his anxiety beginning to show itself. "I'm going home," she stated resolutely, "they need me and I'm going to be there."

"Judy "

"No!" she yelled, tears beginning to flow, "That monster has my babies, I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"I wasn't going to suggest you do," he stated as calmly as possible. "I'll come and pick you up on my way past. I'll be there in 5 minutes Can you wait 5 minutes?"

Judy nodded her head before realising he couldn't see her, "Okay," she mumbled quietly. "I'll meet you outside."

Kevin nodded his head, sighing in relief the last thing he needed was Judy Fabray acting like a loose cannon in this situation, "They're going to be fine Judy I promise."

 

Rachel and Quinn were walking up the foot path to their front door when they noticed Rod sitting on the porch steps. Both girls instantly slowed their pace, approaching the man more cautiously unaware of why he would be there, but knowing that it couldn't be good. Rachel could feel a definite shift in atmosphere with every step that took them closer to the man, the sense of foreboding causing her grip on Lucas to tighten inconspicuously.

"Hello girls," Rod stated, his eyes bouncing from one to the other as they came to a stop in front of him.

"Hi," Quinn responded cautiously, "Not that we're not glad to see you but what are you doing here?"

As he stood up from the step, Rachel instantly put her body in between Rod and Quinn she didn't know why but she had this innate need to protect her family from him. Rod smiled at the gesture, "I am just covering for the usual two officers. They were needed back at the station by Detective Harding."

Rachel nodded her head in understanding, shifting Lucas to her hip and turning her body, effectively blocking the officer's view of him, "Okay, well thanks for waiting for us," Rachel stated, show smile firmly in place, "but as you can see we are home now and the coast is clear so feel free to continue your shift from your car."

"I would feel better if I did a quick sweep of the premises before returning to my car just to make sure everything is alright." Rod explained, his smile faltering slightly at the girls obvious mistrust.

"Why?" Quinn questioned, one hand resting on the brunette's hip while the other was holding one of Lucas hand, "I mean, the door is still clearly locked and I assume that the other officers were here when you arrived so there really is no reason to think that anybody would be here."

Rod clenched his jaw his patience quickly wearing thin, "You can never be too careful," he stated lowly. "So if you could please open the door and let me do my job, I would appreciate it."

Rachel eyed him carefully, his entire demeanour had changed, no longer was he the kind officer they encountered when they arrived he was something more dangerous, "I am fairly certain that that is not part of your job description." Rachel explained, squaring her shoulders she didn't want him knowing exactly how scared she really was.

Rod chuckled darkly, flicking his jacket back as he placed his hands on his hips, his holstered gun now clearly visible to the girls. "You girls are making this more difficult than necessary," he stated, fixing them with a cold glare, "I just want to make sure it's safe."

Rachel could feel Quinn's hand squeezing her hip tightly, both girls' eyes locked on the gun. The brunette started moving slowly towards the door, her eyes never leaving the man, "Quinn," she stated softly but firmly, "Open the door."

The blonde hesitated slightly, not wanting to leave Rachel to stand off against the man alone. It was only when she felt the other girl squeeze her hand reassuringly that she acquiesced and turned her back to the man to open the door.

"See  Was that so hard?" he questioned, head tilted to the side.

"You misunderstand," Rachel stated, eyes darting around to see if there was anybody nearby that could help them she was playing a very dangerous game, but was willing to do it if it meant Lucas and Quinn would be safe. "The 3 of us are going inside the house and locking the door behind us," she stated, hoping her voice was steadier than she felt, "And you are going to go to your car and do what you are paid to do." She was pretty sure, they were both aware that he wasn't here to do a job well a legal job anyway, but she felt that if she appeared ignorant or at least acted it there would be a better chance that he wouldn't feel the need to kill them.

Rod's eyes narrowed dangerously at the petite brunette standing in front of him, she was just like her fathers a pompous good for nothing homosexual, "What do I have to do, huh?" he questioned, voice rising with ire, "Does somebody have to die in order for you to listen?" he pulled his gun from its holster and levelled it at Rachel's head, "Do I need to shoot somebody for you all to believe I'm serious."

Quinn turned back around slowly at the sound of the safety on the fire arm being released, her eyes clouding over with tears when she saw where the gun was pointing, "Rach " she stated fearfully. She had no idea what to do she was literally paralysed by her fear, she couldn't think or move all she could do was stand there and watch as Rod threatened to kill the love of her life.

"It's alright baby," Rachel stated soothingly, "he's not going to shoot me on the front porch in plain sight of everyone he's not that stupid." She explained softly to the blonde, her eyes never leaving Rod or the barrel levelled at her head. She prayed to god that she was doing the right thing calling his bluff that this wasn't going to end in a blood bath.

Rod locked eyes with the diva; his entire body was shaking with the fury he felt. It wasn't supposed to be like this, they were simply supposed to let him in why couldn't they have just let him in. "You know you're too smart little girl," he mused, an almost crazed look gracing his face. "You're right, I can't shoot you a bullet would be too generous of a gift for you," he explained, lifting the gun and scratching his temple with it before lowering it again, this time aiming it a much smaller target Lucas. "I would shoot him though," he mused. "You would have to live with the knowledge that you could have saved him but chose not to and in my book that's far worse than death."

Rachel swallowed thickly, the fear she felt in that moment was completely overwhelming. She was okay challenging Rod when it was her own life she was gambling with, but she wouldn't do that with Lucas' life with her son's life. She felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her and Lucas from behind and instantly relaxed into the safety and security they offered.

Quinn stared at the man, his gun still levelled at her little boy's head. She placed a kiss to Rachel's head and one to Lucas' cheek, her eyes never leaving Rod, who watched the action with curiosity. "Okay," she murmured, pulling her family back towards the now open door, "Okay " there was nothing else she could say, as long as he held Lucas' life in his hands he held all the cards.

Rod smiled darkly as he followed the girls into the house now the real fun could begin. Judy was pacing the side walk in front of her office; she could quite easily equate this to the longest 5 minutes of her life.

 She had her hands clasped firmly in front of her in an inane attempt to stop them shaking. She was trying to remain calm to not think the worst, but the fear that was coursing through her body at that moment was pretty much ensuring that she couldn't her babies were with a deranged killer what positive could she possibly take from that.

She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that they were actually in this position. Things had been going so well lately, everything had worked out with Lucas, the case looked like it was going to be closed, the girls had come out as a couple to everyone who mattered they were all actually happy for the first time in months and then this had to go and happen.

She didn't want to think about what could be happening to her family at that very moment that wasn't helping anybody. So she decided to try to focus on the happier times, a small quivering smile breaking out onto her face as the events from that morning came to mind.

Judy usually chose not to disturb the girls in the morning, allowing them some time to just be together with Lucas as a family unit but she needed to get to work earlier that day for a meeting with her boss and seeing as how Lucas was going to work with her she really needed to make sure he was ready in time.

She arrived at Quinn's well their bedroom door and pushed it open a crack, the sight that greeted her making her heart melt. Rachel was kneeling next to the bed on a blanket laid out on the floor changing Lucas diaper, "You feeling better today baby?" she cooed as she taped his new diaper closed. Lucas, who had taken to biting lightly on his index finger, just smiled around his finger and nodded his head. The diva smiled warmly at the calm little boy, "I'm glad I missed my happy little boy yesterday," she murmured, pulling up his jeans and putting his socks on.

She picked up his t-shirt and made to put it on, only to have him squirm away from her, a cheeky smile on his face, "Oh " Rachel stated playfully, "You don't want mama to put your shirt on?" Lucas nodded his head in response, his feet resting gently on the brunette's knees. "So you want to go to grannies work, with no shirt on?" she questioned, a faux confused look on her face. The little boy looked to be in careful thought for a minute before finally nodding his head going to grannies work topless seemed fine.

"Okay" the diva sighed exaggeratedly, placing his shirt gently to the side, "but I warn you everybody is going to want to touch your tummy." She explained, running her fingers over his exposed stomach. Lucas squirmed, peals of laughter escaping him as Rachel continued her slow, teasing assault on the small boy.

The sound of the toilet flushing and water running marked her daughter's entrance into the scene. Quinn walked over to the duo, a beaming smile on her face, "What exactly is going on here?" she questioned, lowering herself onto the floor next to Rachel.

"Your son" Rachel began, her fingers continuing their motion on the squirming boy's stomach, "decided he didn't want to wear a shirt today, so I was just educating him on what was likely to happen when people saw him."

"Oh" Quinn exclaimed, brushing some of the brunette's hair behind her ear before turning her focus to Lucas, "have you demonstrated raspberries yet?" she asked factually, a quirk of her lip the only indication she wasn't serious.

"I have not," Rachel stated, "Maybe mommy would like to do the honours?"

Quinn pretended to think it over for a moment before finally nodding her head, "I think I would like that very much." She stated, quickly grabbing Lucas' ankles and pulling him towards her, attacking his stomach with her mouth. Lucas squealed with delight, his arms coming to rest on the blonde's shoulders, pushing gently as he attempted to thwart her attack, "No " he squealed, "Stop mommy."

Rachel laughed joyously as she watched Quinn blowing Raspberries on Lucas stomach God, she loved them so much. The blonde pulled away a few moments later, grinning down at the panting little boy, "Do you still want to go to grannies work shirtless?" she asked, wiggling his legs gently. The blonde boy shook his head, an open mouthed smile on his face, "Give shirt," he stated with a nod of his head.

Rachel picked up the shirt and pulled it over his head, pulling his arms through the sleeves, "I knew you would come to see things our way." Once he was fully dressed he stood up and walked over to the brunette, throwing his arms around her neck, "Love you ma," he murmured. The brunette wrapped her arms around him, "I love you too baby," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss to his head. He pulled back slightly, tapping her cheek with his hand before turning away from her and walking straight into the blonde's arms, "I love you mom."

Quinn pulled him tight to her chest, it always amazed her how quickly a situation could change from playful to serious, but Lucas always had the ability to bring out their emotions, "I love you too buddy," she whispered. She looked up at the diva, who was staring at them with such love in her glistening eyes. She grabbed her wrist and pulled her into her lap, "I love you too," she murmured, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

Rachel cupped her cheek gently, "I am so very in love with you," she whispered, connecting their lips in a deep kiss which was broken a moment later by the sound of a throat clearing.

Quinn looked up at Judy with a smile the older woman hadn't seen in a while, "Hey mom how long have you been standing there?"

Judy smiled, arms crossed over her chest, "Long enough to know my grandson finally came to the right decision about the shirt." She explained, an amused twinkle in her eye.

Lucas stared at Judy with wide eyes, giving her an vigorous nod of his head, causing all three women to break out laughing.

Judy was drawn from her thoughts by the sight of Detective Harding's car pulling up next to her. She quickly opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat silently praying that she would have plenty more memories like that.

Both girls were standing in the corner of the living room, a wailing Lucas held tightly between them, watching Rod carefully as he paced in front of them murmuring to himself, gesturing wildly with his arms.

"If you had just arrived home when you were supposed to " he explained, pointing the gun at Rachel, who attempted to put some distance between her and her family, only to have Quinn pull her back towards them, "this could have all been avoided." He bought the gun to his head, tapping it twice against his temple before levelling it at the diva again, "You were supposed to die that day with your dads, but no you had to go and arrive home late and ruin all of our plans," he stated, his voice beginning to rise as his anger began to consume him. "And now .now you had to go and spread the gay," he exclaimed, opening his arms wide to show his exasperation with the situation, before bringing them to rest on his hips. "You don't even realise how much work you've given me how much more I now have to do to end this vicious spread."

Rachel didn't need him to explain in more detail exactly what he meant and judging by Quinn's tightened grip on her wrist, she didn't either. This was exactly the type of situation she wanted to avoid the type of situation she wanted to protect Quinn and Lucas from.

A particularly loud sob escaping from an inconsolable Lucas caused the man to growl in frustration, "Can't you get that kid to shut the hell up!" he yelled, pointing the gun right at him. Rachel instantly stepped in between the gun and Lucas, who was gripping tightly to Quinn. She placed her arms up in a placating gesture, "We'll try, okay?" she stated calmly. She knew this man was deluded at best, the last thing she wanted was for his thinking to be impaired even further by feelings of anger and frustration because who knew what would happen then. "He's just scared right now; maybe if we put him in his play pen " she explained, pointing to the other corner where it stood, "he would feel a little more relaxed and comfortable it might help him calm down."

 

Rod stared at her for a moment, trying to determine if she had an ulterior motive before finally acquiescing with a nod of his head he just really wanted him to shut up.

The brunette nodded her acknowledgment, eyes never leaving the man, "Quinn, can you take Lucas to his play pen give him his Abu, it always makes him feel better.

"Rach, No I don't want "

"Quinn," Rachel exclaimed firmly her heart was beating rapidly with anxiety and fear. She needed the blonde to do this,

"Please, can you do this for me," she pleaded, finally turning to look at the other girl, locking eyes with her briefly. The blonde stared at her in confusion for a moment, her eyes widening slightly when she realised what her diva was implying. She nodded her head slowly, reluctantly walking away from Rachel with a still sobbing Lucas clutched tightly to her.

Rachel watched as Rod followed the blonde's movement all the way to the play pen, and it definitely did not sit well with her she needed his focus on her and away from her family, "So " she exclaimed rather loudly drawing Rod's attention back to her, "What exactly do you have planned?"

Rod chuckled wryly, "I don't have a plan. I have an ending " he explained, walking slowly towards her, "I thought we could decide how to get there together."

"Alright!" Detective Harding yelled to all the officers surrounding the back of the SWAT van, "We are going in through the basement entrance. The girls and Lucas are our priority " he explained as he secured his bullet proof vest into place, "So you do whatever needs to be done to get them out." He locked eyes with each and every cop as he loaded his gun and cocked it, "Whatever."

At the other officers nods of understanding he began to walk to his car where Judy was waiting. "We leave on foot in 5 minutes," he stated over his shoulder as he walked away.

They were parked about 250m down the street from the Fabray house, they wanted to take Rod by surprise and they couldn't exactly do that if he looked out the window and saw police cars lining the streets. They had no idea if the girls and Lucas were in fact still okay but it had been only 30 minutes since the girls usually got home and Rod's car was still parked out front meaning he hadn't left yet, providing them with hope that they were fine that they weren't too late.

He had just arrived at his car by Judy when Officer Beare came running over, "Detective Harding, the silent alarm from the house has just been activated," he explained excitedly.

Detective Harding looked at Judy, the two sharing a small smile this meant they were okay, however long that would last they didn't know but for now they were okay, "Do you know which emergency remote was activated?" he questioned.

Officer Beare nodded his head, "It was number 4 sir."

Detective Harding looked at Judy for clarification, who had a beaming smile on her face and tears streaming down her face, "It's Lucas' button the girls put the remote inside his Abu."

Kevin tried to reign in the sense of pride he felt he told them Lucas was old enough to have a button. Judy threw herself into the detective's arms, "My grandbabies a genius," she murmured into his shoulder.

"He is," the man replied, hugging her tightly before gently pushing her away "It's time," he explained, wiping a tear from her eye.

Judy nodded her head, "Bring them back to me," she stated quietly. "I promise," he responded resolutely before turning around and walking over to his team, rallying them for the ambush.

Rachel watched warily as Rod circled around Quinn and Lucas, his gun resting against his chin as if in deep thought "What to do, what to do," he murmured, glancing at Rachel every now and again.

He slowly walked over to the blonde running the gun down her cheek, causing a shiver to course through the girl's body. He passed it over her chin bringing it up to rest on her lips, "I wonder what kinds of things this mouth can do," he murmured, staring directly at the brunette with a taunting smile. "With lips like these " he added, tapping the gun against the stock still blonde's bottom lip, "I imagine you must be quite the expert at sucking things."

The brunette clenched her fists tightly at her sides, she knew what he was doing he was trying to get a rise out of her, he wanted to get her angry  and it was working. She could feel her blood beginning to boil with every taunting glare and lewd comment that came out of his mouth if he so much as laid a hand on her head, she would kill him.

He turned away from the brunette and focussed on the blonde who was already kneeling next to the play pen how much more convenient could it get. He looked at the blonde who was trembling but still had a defiant glint in her eyes, her jaw clenched tightly shut.

Rachel watched intently as he placed his hand in Quinn's hair, her hands literally bleeding from where her nails had dug into her skin. She wanted to make him hurt so bad, to make him feel even just a portion of what he was making them feel but most of all, she wanted him far away from her family. She however could do nothing as long as he had a gun to the blonde, she wouldn't risk tackling him only for the gun to go off and kill Quinn or Lucas. No she had to wait for the perfect moment in order to make the most of the opportunity.

That moment came only seconds later when he unconsciously dropped the hand holding the gun to his side, to distracted by the hand which was now caressing the blonde's cheek. The whimper that escaped her set Rachel off, the petite diva charged at the man and grabbed the wrist of the hand touching the girl, "Get your hands off her!" she demanded, yanking on his arm to turn him towards her.

Only she didn't think it all the way through because as he spun towards her he bought the gun around with a swinging arm and connected it with the side of her face.

Quinn screamed when she saw Rachel fall to the ground in an unmoving heap, "Rach!" she yelled, scrambling towards the girl but instantly stopping in her tracks when the gun was pointed at her, "Please!" she begged, tears beginning to stream down her face as she noticed a small trail of blood originating from beneath the unmoving girl, "Let me make sure she's okay .Please!"

Rod grabbed the brunette by her hair, picking her head up off the floor, his gun still locked on the blonde. He gave the girl a shake, causing her to groan in pain, before releasing his grip her head dropping forcefully back to the ground, "She's alive can't say the same for you for too much longer."

Quinn's eyes were locked on Rachel, her face clearly visible to the blonde now. She had cuts in both her hair line and just above her eye, that were bleeding profusely as well as an already blossoming bruise that covered most of the left side of her face, "Rach " she whimpered softly, "I need you to open your eyes for me baby."

"Yeah Rach I need for you to open your eyes baby," Rod mocked, "You're not going to want to miss this."

Rachel felt as if she had been hit in the head with a baseball bat which wasn't actually too inaccurate in this situation. Her head was absolutely pounding, with everything seeming to be just out of focus. She could hear voices but she couldn't make out what they were saying, she could feel her body but she couldn't get it to co-operate with her, she knew what situation they were in she was just having a hard time focusing on it. She heard Quinn's voice and even though she couldn't hear what was being said she could sense her distress and instantly wanted to go to her. She pooled what little energy she could muster to co-ordinate her body enough to sit up, leaning heavily against the living room table once she did.

She opened her eyes instantly shutting them again against the spinning of the room. She took a few deep calming breaths before attempting it again the room was still spinning but she was more prepared for it this time. She looked around the room until her blurred vision landed on the two people she loved most in this world, "Are you guys okay?" she asked, wincing slightly when she shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts.

Quinn chuckled joyously, "We're okay," she stated, wiping the tears from her eyes. Rachel nodded her head subtly, "Luke?" She called staring at the blurred figure of her son.

"Yeah mama," He sniffled, having calmed down upon seeing the diva move.

"This is all very touching " Rod stated sarcastically, "but I think it's time to say goodbye." He cocked his gun and levelled it at Quinn's head, "Say good bye Rachel You're about to watch your family die."

It took her brain a few seconds longer than usual to process what was happening, but when she did, she immediately

jerked into action, "No!" she yelled, causing Rod to pause with his finger poised on the trigger.

Now that she had his attention, she had no idea what to do she wasn't exactly able to think clearly enough to come up with a plan, but she also realised that saying anything in that moment was better than silence, so she said the first thing that came to her mind, "She's not gay!" She exclaimed.

She could just make out what she assumed to be two very confused looks through her blurred vision, Rod because he had no idea where she was going with this and Quinn because she had no idea why she would say it. She knew that what was about to happen would without a doubt hurt the blonde, hell it was going to hurt her to say it but she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure Lucas and Quinn got out of there alive, even if it was to play into Rod's deluded fantasy.

She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to organise her thoughts and prepare for what was about to happen, before finally opening them only to find her already blurred vision that much worse as her left eye began to swell shut. She stared up at Rod from her spot on the floor; locking eyes with him she couldn't look at Quinn while she did this, "You're right " she began, her jaw clenching slightly at the smug look that graced his face, "I am spreading the gay."

She saw his finger relax slightly on the trigger, "I I tricked her into into believing she was in love with me that what we had was right." She explained, shutting her eyes against the onslaught of tears that were fighting their way to the surface as a loud sob escaped the blonde. She took a deep steadying breath before opening her eyes again, "I I was relentless in in my pu-pursuit of her, she didn't stand a chance she had no choice in the matter."

Quinn couldn't control her emotions any longer and burst into tears, her body wracking with the force of each sob. She knew why Rachel was doing this, but that didn't mean she had to like it that it didn't hurt to hear her talk like this. She had twisted their whole story to make it seem like it was one big delusion, just to save her and Lucas while throwing herself under the bus. "Rach " she sobbed, she desperately wanted to say something  anything that would make this all okay, but nothing seemed sufficient or grand enough to appropriately express everything she was feeling in that moment what could be said to the person that loved you so much they would willing lie and die for you.

"No Quinn," Rachel stated softly, finally locking pleading eyes on the blonde. She desperately needed her to go along with this to just accept what she was trying to do. "It's okay now when this is all over you can go back to your boyfriend and raise Lucas the way he is supposed to be raised." She inhaled shakily, valiantly continuing the fight against her emotions every lie and implied denial of her family was literally killing her, but she was willing to push through it if it meant they would be safe.

Rod turned his focus from the brunette to the blonde kneeling in front of him, "Is that true?" he asked, "Are you straight?" Quinn locked eyes with the pleading brunette, her tears falling hard and fast she knew what the other girl wanted her to say, but could she really deny her if it was the last thing on earth she was going to hear. Logic was telling her that Rachel knew how she truly felt, that she would know the denial was a lie but she would have to live with the knowledge that she denied the woman she loved when it mattered most, even if it was to save her life to save Lucas' life.

The blonde focussed on the small boy, his watery eyes finding hers instantly. She couldn't let him die and that was exactly what was going to happen if she didn't go along with Rachel's plan. She smiled sadly at the quietly whimpering boy, this was the brunette's way of protecting them, of keeping them safe who was she to deny her that. If the roles had been reversed she would have asked the same thing of the diva, she would have taken the action as a sign of her love for her. So she would do it, but she wouldn't look at her while she did she couldn't look into the brown eyes she had come to love while she denied her. She stretched into the play pen and grabbed one of Lucas' hands and just as she opened her mouth to answer the basement door flew open.

The next few moments passed by in a flurry of movement, commands and gun shots leaving nothing behind it but a stony silence, which was then broken by one loud wail. It was the sound of the small boy's cries that broke Quinn out of the stupor she had found herself in. She instantly stood up from where she had been kneeling for approximately the last 30 minutes and took Lucas out of his play pen cradling him to her chest.

The little boy gripped tightly to her shirt, his head coming to rest on her shoulder, "Mommy," he whimpered, his whole body trembling with fear. "Shhh baby," Quinn cooed, trying so hard to control the tremor in her voice. "It's over now, we're okay," she murmured, squeezing him tightly, needing the comfort just as much as he did.

Detective Harding took in the scene in front of him, Rod Ellis was dead a bullet through the head ensured that, and the girls and Lucas were alright well, they were alive which was all that really mattered. He turned his attention to the brunette who was now resting limply against the table, if he had to guess, based on bruising and swelling alone, he would say that it was very likely that she had a cracked skull.

He turned his focus onto the two blonde's who were swaying close by. He grabbed the arm of the First Officer that walked by, his attention still very much on the two cuddling blonde's. "Can you please take Lucas out of the house? His grandmother will be arriving soon and I think she will very much want to see him," he explained, gesturing to the small boy being rocked by his mother.

He watched carefully as the Officer approached the pair, and after a few words, extracted the baby from a very reluctant Quinn. He knew it was going to be hard for the girls not to have him within their sights at that moment and that it was unlikely that Lucas would even remember what happened today in a few months, but that didn't mean that he wanted him to see Rachel in her current state.

Quinn watched the officer walk away with her baby, smiling reassuringly at the small boy until he was no longer in her line of sight. She stood for a moment just staring at the door through which they had just exited before finally turning away and jogging over to Rachel.

"Hey baby," she whispered softly, cradling the diva's neck between both her hands, "How are you doing?" Rachel lifted up her arms, her hands gripping tightly to the blonde's forearms, "Hurts to talk," she slurred. "I'm sure it does baby, but you're gonna be okay," she soothed, running a hand through blood drenched hair.

 "Of course I am," she chuckled, wincing in pain. She stared up into hazel eyes that always seemed to make everything alright, "I love you," she whispered, her hand running tiredly down the side of the girl's face before dropping it to rest on her forearm again. The blonde leant forward resting her forehead against the brunette's, "I love you too, so, so much Never doubt that okay?" she explained, tears flowing down her cheeks as everything the diva said came flooding back to the forefront of her mind.

"I know that," she stated emphatically, "I would never doubt that or you. Ever."

Detective Harding knelt down next to the girls, hating that he had to interrupt their moment, but knowing Rachel definitely needed medical attention. "The paramedics are here to take you to the hospital," he explained.

Rachel nodded her head, "Alright " She groaned as she leaned forward, "my chariot awaits." She attempted to stand up herself only to have both Quinn and Kevin push her back down, "No, no, no, no " the blonde exclaimed, "let's just wait for the paramedics to come and give you a lift to that chariot of yours."

The brunette attempted a pout, though it was actually more of a grimace, before reluctantly acquiescing she probably wouldn't have been able to make it to the ambulance on her own anyway.

Judy had never felt more relief than the moment they pulled up outside the Fabray house to find a police officer standing with Lucas. She managed to get out the car and over to the two of them in record time. The minute Lucas caught sight of the older woman; he threw his arms out, practically crawling over the officer's shoulder to get to her, a whimper escaping from his lips. Judy instantly took him, holding him at arms length so she could examine him from top to toe for any injuries, only pulling him to her chest when she was satisfied that he was okay, placing a series of kisses on every possible exposed piece of skin she could find.

Lucas moaned at the onslaught, not sure whether to push Judy away or pull her closer and never let go again he chose the latter, clutching her shirt and pulling himself as tightly against her as possible, "Granny," he sniffled against her shoulder. "I've got you baby," she placed another kiss to his head, "I've got you." She looked down at the small boy, "I'm so proud of you baby," she cooed, rocking him gently, "You did such a good job pushing the button," she explained.

Lucas shook his head against her shoulder, "No." Judy furrowed her brow in confusion, "What's 'no' baby?"

"Mommy button," he explained, wiping his nose on her shoulder. Judy's eyes widened in realisation, "Your mommy pushed the button?" Lucas nodded his head, nuzzling her neck with his nose as he attempted to burrow deeper into her.

Judy rested her cheek on top of his head, swaying from side to side in a soothing manner, her eyes fixed on the body bag that had just been bought out of the house. She had already been told that the girls were okay, but just the knowledge that they were in a situation where someone ended up dead was enough to make her heart rate accelerate and tears fall from her eyes things could have turned out so, so differently.

She was reminded that the worst had not come to fruition by the sight of the paramedics wheeling Rachel out, Quinn right by her side. Judy ran over to the stretcher, a gasp escaping her when she saw the brunette for the first time. "Aww baby," she stated sadly, softly caressing the side of the girl's face with the back of her hand.

"I'm okay it looks worse than it is," she mumbled. Judy wrapped her free arm around Quinn, pulling her tightly into her. She dropped a lingering kiss to her daughter's head before turning her attention to the diva, "It looks like you are in a severe amount of pain."

"Oh "Rachel mused, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, "then it looks exactly how it feels."

"We are going to have to get going. We need to get her to a hospital, so we can try and help relieve some of that pain."

One of the paramedics stated as he began to push the stretcher towards the awaiting ambulance. Quinn gave her mom one last squeeze, placing a kiss to her mother's cheek and her son's head, "I'm gonna go with Rach in the ambulance. I'll see you at the hospital okay?" she explained, moving towards the ambulance and getting in.

"Ask Detective Harding to give you a lift and tell him to drive carefully please," she called, just before the doors closed and the ambulance drove off.

Judy looked down at Lucas, who was still gripping to her shirt for dear life, "Let's go to the hospital baby," she murmured, kissing her head.

Puck came charging through the waiting room doors, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Quinn curled into her mother's side, Lucas clutched tightly to her chest. He made his way over to the trio, crouching down in front of them, "Hey," he stated quietly, drawing their focus to him. Lucas eyes instantly lit up, "No-No!" he exclaimed, throwing himself into the older boy's arms. Puck was stunned for a moment but finally wrapped his arms around the small boy, staring up at Quinn in confusion last he could remember Lucas was mad at him.

Quinn smiled tiredly at him, snuggling into her mother's side, "He's had a tough day I think it put things into perspective for him, helped him realise what was important," she murmured.

The boy nodded his head in understanding, kissing Lucas' cheek, "What happened today?" he asked. The blonde picked her head up, finally realising that Puck had absolutely no idea what had happened that day and therefore had no reason to be at the hospital, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"It's a long story " he sighed, "but bottom line is that Santana drove past your house and saw the police and ambulance," he explained, "I drove here as soon as I got the call explaining what she had seen." At Quinn's nod of understanding, he continued, "Now you know how I came to be here, care to explain to me why I'm here?"

Quinn buried his head into her mother's shoulder, she wasn't really ready to relive it all not yet. Judy kissed her head before turning to address Puck, "It's a very long story Noah, one I would rather not recount in detail at the moment but bottom line is that the girls and Lucas were held hostage today in our house. Overall everything turned out okay, but Rachel did get hurt."

Puck wanted to ask more questions but could see that now wasn't the time for that. He stood up and sat down in the chair next to Quinn, Lucas instantly crawling into her lap All four content to just sit in silence together and wait to hear news about Rachel.

Rachel was lying in her hospital bed, Quinn was curled up next to her sound asleep and Lucas was lying on her chest.

"Mama?" he called, picking his head up so he could see her face.

"Hmmm," she hummed in response, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Sore," he stated with a frown, gently placing his hand over the stitches above her eye, his eyes running over all the bruises marring her skin.

"Yeah baby," she responded softly. "It hurts now, but it will get better soon," she added, running her thumb over his furrowed brow.

The little boy ran his fingers down the bridge of her nose and over her lips before leaning forward and placing a small kiss to them, "You okay?" he asked.

 She gave him a small smile, "Yeah baby, I'm okay," she whispered, patting his bum gently. "In fact, I'm better than okay you want to know why?" At the small boy's nod she continued, "I'm more than okay because your mommy and you are okay and that makes me very happy."

A gentle kiss to her cheek drew her attention to the now awake blonde next to her, warm hazel eyes boring directly into her soul, "We are so happy that you're okay too aren't we Luke?" Quinn questioned.

Lucas nodded his head emphatically, laying his head back on the brunette's chest, her heart beat providing him with much needed comfort and security. Quinn cupped the brunette's neck, her thumb tracing her jaw lightly, "This was the worst of it baby and we survived it everything will be a cake walk from here." Rachel nodded her head with a chuckle, wincing in pain as a result. "I don't think I'll be able to do much for the next few days every small movement seems to cause me pain," she explained looking helplessly up at the blonde.

Quinn smiled lovingly at the girl, "That's what happens when you have a hairline fracture to the skull and a badly bruised jaw. Not to mention the stitches here " she ran her finger along her temple before moving it to just above her eye, "and here."

"You know I don't handle pain well a few days is too long for me," Rachel explained, attempting her trade mark pout but finding it to painful at the moment.

"Well lucky for you Luke and my kisses have healing properties so prepare for an onslaught of them over the next few days." Quinn stated, biting her bottom lip in a way that drove Rachel wild.

"Yeah " Rachel whispered, "Care to demonstrate."

The blonde leant forward and placed gentle kisses to all of the brunette's injuries before pulling back slightly, "Does that feel better?" She husked, against Rachel's ear. The diva nodded her head, a naughty glint in her eye, "I bit my tongue when I fell as well please feel free to do what you must to help it heal."

Quinn grinned down at her, "How about we settle for the lips until you can actually open your mouth to fully contribute." The brunette opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again with a wince, proving the blonde's point, "You suck," she murmured.

Quinn chuckled, placing a gentle kiss to the other girl's lips, "You love me," she stated playfully.

"Yeah I do," Rachel replied, a fond look on her face.

"I love you too," She replied, dropping one final kiss to her lips before curling up into her side, silently thanking whatever deity was listening for getting them out of that situation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _A/N: Hey Guys! Here is the next chapter, just 1 more after this and then the epilogue. I am so sorry I kept you guys waiting for this, uni and work got in the way, but I promise I'm writing whenever I can...even during lectures ;) I will not leave this hanging, I have a plan for the last two chapters, I just need to find time to write it now. The next hapter should definitely be up in a week and a half at the most._  
>  _Thank you so much for all the love you have shown this story, I am overwhelmed by all the nice, constructive things you have all said about both the story and my writing. I am very humbled by all of your responses, please keep them coming...when I know people or reading it makes me want to keep writing, I already have my next story planned out in my head :)_  
>  This really hasn't undergone any spelling and grammatical checks as I really didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer, so I apologise if there are more than usual.  
> **Discalimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily.

**_Chapter 13_ **

 

Quinn was lying on her side in bed, resting on her elbow as she stared down at the sleeping diva. She ran a finger along the fading scars above the girl's eye and along her temple, it had been 6 weeks since their encounter with Rod and those were the only physical reminder that remained.

The case had effectively been closed about a week after Rod's death; the minute Michael Baxter had heard that his inside man was no more he sang like a canary, pointing his finger at 3 other men, who were quickly rounded up and read their Miranda Rights. It was a huge relief for them to finally truly be able to put the whole situation behind them and move forward.

One would think that after everything they had lived through they would be more cautious more scared more traumatised, but that wasn't the case at all. In fact Quinn hadn't seen Rachel so relaxed in months, the closing of the case served as a cleansing of sorts, washing away most of the girl's fears and concerns allowing her to really enjoy life for the first time in months.

It took about 3 weeks for the effects of the fractured skull to noticeably lesson, allowing the brunette to return to doing the things she loved, like singing and other more rigorous physical activities, much to Quinn's delight. Her eyes scanned every delicious line and curve of the diva's body, the sheet doing absolutely nothing to conceal the gorgeous naked body that lay beneath it. She licked her suddenly dry lips as the first tell tale sounds of arousal made themselves known. She snuggled into the brunette's side, nuzzling the other girl's neck with her nose.

"Rach?" she murmured softly, placing a series of chaste kisses to the girl's shoulder and neck, her hand stroking her stomach seductively. Rachel groaned in response, squirming and stretching slightly before relaxing back into her peaceful slumber.

Quinn grinned into the brunette's shoulder, "Rach " she husked seductively, now moving to nuzzle the side of the girl's face, "Wake up baby." She whispered directly into the girl's ear, her tongue running along the shell of her ear before taking the lobe between her teeth to suck it gently.

Rachel moaned in response to the blonde's actions. Her eyes were still closed but she was definitely awake now you would have to be dead or comatose not too, "Baby " she murmured, all her blood already flowing south, "We should both still be sleeping we had a late night last night." She explained softly, they had a big day ahead of them and they really needed to be well rested.

The blonde slid her hand further south causing the brunette's eyes to snap open, "But it's my birthday." She stated softly with a faux pout, her fingers sliding easily through wetness, "You're supposed to give me what I want on my birthday."

The brunette finally looked at the blonde, her bottom lip clutched firmly between her teeth in an attempt to keep herself from crying out in response to the wondrous things the girl's hand was doing, "I I know it's your birthday," she whimpered, her hips rising slightly to increase contact with exploring fingers, "It's why wh-why we we made love after midnight." She explained her brain quickly turning to mush, "It was your birthday sex."

"Yeah?" Quinn breathed, her fingers moving to the girl's entrance. At the diva's nod she pushed in with two fingers, her lips instantly connecting with the brunette's to muffle that initial moan that always escaped the girl. She kissed her languidly for a minute for as she thrust into her slowly, quickly finding a rhythm that worked for both of them. She broke the kiss, the two girls sharing breaths as they panted heavily into each other's mouths, "I want more birthday sex."

Rachel licked her lips, the blonde watching the action as if her tongue held all the secrets to the universe, "I can see that." The diva responded, "But the only person getting sex here is me."

Quinn smiled, "We can fix that." She murmured, rolling on top of the other girl, her core connecting with the brunette's thigh. Rachel groaned at the feeling of the blonde's wetness being spread all over her thigh as the girl grinded against it there was nothing sexier to her than knowing how turned on Quinn was by her. She gripped the girl's hips, pulling her more firmly against her tense thigh as her hips continued to rise to meet the continuously quickening thrusts.

Quinn lowered her body so she was lying flush on top of the brunette, her hips and arm continuing to thrust awkwardly into the other girl. She could feel the coil in her stomach beginning to pull tight and knew she was close hell she was close long before she joined the party, just the thought of the other girl having almost bought her to orgasm on several occasions, so in all fairness what chance did she have with the girl naked beneath her, hot sweat drenched skin touching in all the right places, her clit colliding oh so wonderfully with the object of her affections thigh she was doomed from the get go.

Rachel wrapped her arms around the panting blonde, holding her tightly against her. She could tell from the suddenly erratic thrusts of the girl's hips and fingers, as well as the feeling of her stomach muscles clenching and relaxing intermittently that Quinn was close she was close too, just not that close. She dropped a kiss to the blonde's temple and forehead, "Let go baby." She husked.

Quinn whimpered at the girl's tone of voice, her hips bucking more firmly in response, "No," she groaned, fighting valiantly against her own orgasm, "Not without you." She pulled out of the girl, pushing back in with three fingers, her thumb instantly finding the girl's clit beginning to massage it steadily.

"Oh God!" Rachel moaned, digging her nails tightly into the blonde's back, the rising of her hips to meet each thrust causing her thigh to connect securely with the blonde's centre. Quinn bit down on the diva's neck, sucking violently as her hips moved of their own accord against the brunette's thigh, driving her closer and closer to orgasm, "Are you close?" she whined against the diva's shoulder.

Rachel hummed her affirmative, gripping the blonde's head and pulling her up to connect their lips in a passionate kiss it was sloppy, all teeth and tongues, as they panted for air. It was only a few seconds later when the diva gripped the other girl's bottom lip with her teeth, her body arching off the bed and into the other girl as she orgasmed.

Quinn literally breathed a sigh of relief into Rachel's mouth and relaxed, allowing her own orgasm to consume her. They shook against each other, foreheads pressed together and eyes locked, hips rocking gently as they rode out the aftershocks of their pleasure. Rachel ran a trembling hand through Quinn's hair, finally releasing her hold on the blonde's lip. She frowned in sympathy when she saw blood beginning to dribble from it, "Sorry baby." She murmured, leaning forward and taking the injured lip between her own, massaging it soothingly with her tongue.

The blonde moaned in response to the action, her eyes slamming shut as her core began to throb. She slowly extracted her fingers from the addictive warmth they found within the brunette and placed her hand next to the girl's head, pushing up slightly on trembling arms, "You better stop that if you're not looking to go another round." She murmured against the other girl's mouth.

Rachel broke the kiss and stared up into dilated pupils, realisation dawning on her when she felt fresh wetness from the blonde's centre coating her thigh, "Again?" she questioned incredulously. No verbal response was required from Quinn, the sheepish smile she gave was more than enough of an answer, "But that would make five times this morning." She stated, like she said they had a big night.

"I know " Quinn murmured, rolling off the girl and onto her back, instantly pulling the brunette into her side, "and you're right we do have a long day, so we really should get some sleep." She dropped a kiss to the girl's forehead, running her hand through the brunette locks, "You just make me so hot Rach I permanently want you." she whispered.

Rachel shuddered against the blonde, her heart rate already beginning to increase. One more orgasm and she would most definitely be sleeping through Quinn's birthday and that was just unacceptable, but just because she was denying herself one didn't mean she was going to deny the blonde. She leaned back slightly, planting a chaste kiss to the girl's lips before extracting herself from her arms and disappearing under the covers.

It took Quinn a moment to catch up with what was happening, but when she felt her thighs being pushed apart by gently hands, she had a pretty good idea where it was going. Her eyes widened with realisation as she watched the bump that was Rachel settle herself into a comfortable position between her thighs. They had never done this before, so she was feeling particularly nervous, there was something very anxiety inducing about having someone stare at your most intimate parts so intently, which Rachel was no doubt doing judging by how long it was taking her to begin. She placed a hand to her forehead, taking a few deep calming breaths she wasn't sure she was ready for this, "Rach, we don't have to do this. Let's just go back to Oh My God!" she moaned loudly, one hand immediately flying to her mouth, the other to the bump under the covers her previous train of thought completely forgotten as Rachel's tongue did earth shattering things to her. They were definitely doing this again.

Rachel emerged from the room about 45 minutes later in shorts and a tank top, a beaming smile on her face as she made her way down the hall to fetch Lucas from his nursery. She walked into the room to find the small boy standing up in his crib, clutching to the railing, a matching smile on his face, "Mama!" he exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Birthday!"

She made her way over to the crib, crouching down slightly so she was eye-level with him, "Yeah baby its mommy's birthday today." She cooed, attempting to brush down little tufts of blonde hair. He let go of the railing to clap his hands excitedly, "Party!" he squealed happily.

Rachel chuckled lightly at the small boys antics. They had been speaking about Quinn's birthday for the last week and although she was fairly sure he had no idea what a birthday, Judy had explained to him briefly what a party was and he hadn't stopped blabbering about that since it didn't matter why there was going to be a party just that there was one.

She picked him up, "Yeah buddy we're having a party today." She stated, placing him down on the mat by his toys while she fetched him some clothes from his cupboard.

She turned around and walked back over to him, kneeling down in front of the grinning boy, "Arms up." She stated, Lucas instantly complying so she could pull his vest off. The minute it was over his head, he darted passed Rachel and out the nursery door in nothing but his diaper and socks, "Luke!" she called, "Come back here baby, we need to put some clothes on you."

She wasn't particularly concerned about his walkabout, the baby gate was locked at the top of the stairs so he could only run up and down the hallway, he was so excited about the party, if anyone understood that she did so she was willing to let the behaviour slide for today.

She could hear Luke squealing happily at the end of the hall and knew instantly he had run into someone, her heart warming when she heard the familiar husk of Quinn's voice. She could hear the sound of voices and laughter slowly getting louder and more defined as footsteps bought them closer to the nursery until finally the blonde occupied the doorway holding Lucas' by his ankles out in front of her, "I believe you misplaced someone." She stated teasingly.

Rachel smirked playfully at the blonde taking Lucas from her so she could finish dressing him, "I did not lose him." She explained, "He just decided he was too excited to sit still, even for just a minute, so I could dress him."

Lucas nodded his head, index finger firmly in his mouth, "Party." He stated causing the blonde to groan. "It's not a party." Quinn whined frustratingly, "I'm 18 years old I don't have birthday parties anymore. I have get togethers, barbeques', movie nights not parties." Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde's dramatics as she put the finishing touches to Lucas' outfit. She helped him stand up, patting his backside gently, "Why don't you go wake grandma up?" she asked, the little boy immediately nodding and running out of the room.

The brunette stood up and sauntered over to the blonde leaning against the crib. She wrapped her arms around her,

their hips resting flush against each other, "Can't you just call it a party for his sake?" she asked softly, cupping the girl's cheeks, "We'll blow up a few balloons and put a few treats on the table he'll be happy with that."

Quinn sighed resignedly, nuzzling the diva's hand, "Can't we just explain in more detail what usually happens at birthday parties and leave it at that?" she asked. She knew she was being petulant, but it was her 18th birthday, she didn't want balloons and treats she just wanted to relax with her friends and family. Rachel instantly dropped her hands, the blonde noticing the flash of hurt and sadness reflected in the diva's eyes before she broke contact with her.

"Rach " Quinn murmured softly, trying to pull the girl closer to her only to have her rebuff the move and step away from her. She furrowed her brows in concern, "What's wrong baby?" she asked softly, she knew the girl might have been upset about the whole party thing but she never expected this.

Rachel paced back and forth in front of the girl, so many emotions running through her at that moment, so many emotions were running through her at the moment, the predominant one being hurt but she wasn't ready to address that feeling yet, so she focussed on the anger she felt towards the blonde. She rounded on the girl, eyes glistening with unshed tears, "Do you know how Lucas spent his first birthday?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Quinn swallowed thickly, shaking her head she had a feeling she wasn't going to like this.

"There was no party Quinn." She stated shortly, "It was two days after my dads died, I had only been at the home for a day." She explained, eyes unfocussed as she remembered one of the worst times in her life, "I had literally only just met him and was already his closest companion. Danni took us down to a caffe and we shared a piece of cake." She glared at the blonde, "There was no balloons, no party hats, no presents, no singing so please excuse him if the idea of a party excites him." She explained, spinning on her foot and walking towards the door.

"Rach, wait " Quinn stated softly, reaching out and grabbing the brunette's wrist. Tears were rolling down he cheeks, she had known that Lucas had had a difficult life before them, but it hadn't been something that she had consciously thought about for a while having it laid out for her like that had been eye opening, "I'm sorry." She murmured, pulling the reluctant girl into her arms, "I am so sorry." She placed a gentle kiss to her head, swaying them gently the brunette wasn't hugging back but she wasn't pulling away either, and the blonde would take that at the moment. "Let's have a party." She whispered into the girl's hair, "I want balloons, and treats, and singing and party hats. I want it all and I want it with you and Luke."

Rachel eventually bought her arms up and wrapped them around Quinn much to the girl's relief, "It's okay." The diva mumbled half heartedly, "All that matters is that it's sorted out now."

Quinn frowned at how tired and withdrawn Rachel sounded, she was holding her in her arms but could still feel how aloof she was there was something that the girl wasn't saying and clearly it was upsetting her, "Rach, are you okay?" she asked, rubbing the diva's back soothingly.

The brunette clenched her eyes shut, resting her forehead against the blonde's shoulder there had already been enough negative overshadowing the girl's birthday, she didn't want to add more to it. So she pulled away with her characteristic show smile and placed a chaste kiss to the girl's lips, "Of course!" she responded a little to enthusiastically considering her behaviour just a moment ago, "Why wouldn't I be okay we sorted out our little disagreement, so let's put it behind us and get ready for your birthday." She exclaimed excitedly clapping her hands as she turned around and literally bounced out of the room.

Quinn stood stock still, lips still pursed from when the diva kissed her. To say she was shocked and confused by the girl's sudden change in behaviour would be a massive understatement. She knew now without a doubt Rachel was withholding something, she just didn't know what it was and why she felt she couldn't tell her.

Judy was standing at the kitchen table making salad for the barbeque/party, her eyes glancing every now and then to the brunette seated on the floor playing Lucas, who was sitting snugly between her legs. Only she wasn't playing, she wasn't even paying attention to the boy and his toys no she was clearly lost in thought, her eyes having been unfocused for the last 30 minutes.

"Rach " she called softly, drawing from her thoughts, "something you want to talk about?"

The girl looked down at Lucas, running her hand through his blonde hair, "Judes " she murmured hesitantly, "What do you do at a birthday party." Judy stopped what she was doing, giving her undivided attention to the brunette, "I'm not sure what you're asking sweetheart?"

Rachel shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "I was just curious about the general order of events and what activities are generally undertaken."

Judy stared at the girl in confusion, "Well, it depends on the person honey." She explained in a gentle tone, "What did you do for your birthday parties when you were growing up?" she asked in curiosity she wanted to know as much as she could about Rachel when she was younger.

Rachel bit her bottom lip tightly, her eyes beginning to tear up as she became overwhelmed with emotion for the second time that day. She hated thinking about her prior birthdays; they always served as a reminder of how much of an outcast she was, and of how amazing and terrific her dads were and that thought always made her cry. She inhaled shakily, wrapping her arms tightly around Lucas, "There was no birthday parties." She stated quietly, "They tried once but no one showed I suppose nobody wanted to associate with the daughter of the town queers." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders, kissing the top of Lucas' head. "Anyway after that my dads decided it would hurt less not to have a party, than to have no one show up for it and they were right. Every year after that it was always just the three of us, hanging out and doing whatever we wanted." She lifted her head and smiled at Judy, tears sliding down her cheeks, "And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way."

Judy clutched at her chest; her breath coming out in short gasps as she valiantly fought against her tears her family had been one of the many that had ruined a little girl's birthday party because they couldn't see past their own prejudice.

She walked around the table and knelt on the floor in front of the girl and Lucas, cupping her cheeks gently, "I am so sorry." Judy exclaimed through a sob, finally losing her battle against her emotion.

"No " Rachel admonished gently, pulling Judy into a hug, "There's nothing to apologise for. I never regretted not having a birthday party would I have liked to have had friends who would have wanted to attend my birthday? Yes, but what kid wouldn't but I never regretted spending the day with my dads." She pulled backs from Judy so she could look into the older woman's tearful eyes, "You can't really miss what you never had." She explained with a small smile, wiping away Judy's tears with her thumbs, "So no more crying, okay? My birthdays were always a wonderful day for me my dads made sure of that." She looked down at Lucas, who was staring up at them with a furrowed brow, "It does however mean I am somewhat ignorant about the topic of parties, so if he was to ask about it or if I am required to plan one for his birthday, I would have no idea even where to begin." She explained bashfully, the heart of her concerns becoming visible.

Judy opened her mouth to respond when something by the door caught her eye, she gave a subtle nod of her head before standing up slowly. She placed her hand on the diva's shoulder, "The great thing about parties is that there are no set guidelines you can do whatever you want to do and chances are it'll be a hit." She whispered softly into the girl's ear, patting her shoulder affectionately before walking out the room.

Rachel stared down at the small blonde playing with his truck, the corner of her mouth quirked up into a half smile, "Grandma's awesome, huh?" she questioned, ruffling the blonde's locks.

Lucas looked up at her, his own crooked smile on his face, "Yeah." He responded before returning his focus to his truck.

Quinn stood by the door for a moment, just watching the two interact she couldn't believe how two people who had been through so much in their short lives still managed to be so happy. She creeped slowly into the kitchen and sat down behind the brunette, wrapping her arms around the girl and pulling her flush against her, "Hey baby." She murmured, placing a gentle kiss behind her ear before resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"Hi." Rachel responded, leaning back into the embrace and resting her head on the blonde's shoulder, "Are you ready for you get together later?"

Quinn rolled her eyes at the diva's choice of words, "Yes I am ready for my party later." She stated, placing emphasis on the word 'party.' Rachel smiled, "Good I'm glad."

The blonde hummed her acknowledgment, her lips resting against the brunette's neck. She loved the idea of just sitting here with her family like this, just savouring the feeling of being together words not necessary to express their emotions. But she had something she needed to discuss with the diva and wasn't sure if another opportunity would present itself, "Rach I heard your conversation with my mom." She stated softly, the diva instantly stiffening in her arms.

She placed a trail of kisses up her neck to her ear, "Why didn't you tell me?" she stated gently.

Rachel closed her eyes and relaxed back into the blonde's embrace, "It wasn't a big deal." She stated softly, "I just overreacted a little this morning when you suggested we explain to Lucas what a party was and I realised I wouldn't be able to..." she gave a self-deprecating chuckle, "but my diva moment is over now, so can we just forget about it and move on?"

"Rach " she chastised softly, "Anything to do with you and Lucas is a big deal to me. I want to know about every worry, concern or insecurity you experience." She nuzzled the girl's cheek with her nose, "I don't like you keeping things from me."

The brunette sighed, tilting her head back and to the side so she could kiss the blonde's lips, "I'm sorry." She mumbled against the girl's lips her intention had never been to hurt Quinn by keeping this from her, "I just didn't want to put any more of a damper on your birthday than I already did."

"Baby, you didn't put a damper on my birthday."

"Yes I did!" she exclaimed, "I should never have made you feel guilty about not wanting a birthday party it's your birthday and you should be able to do what you choose."

"You and Lucas are my whole world Rachel." She explained softly, "I am at my happiest when you two are happy so if Lucas wants a party, than I want a party."

Rachel twisted slightly so she could lock eyes with the other girl, a small loving smile on her face, "Do you mean that?"

"Of course." She whispered, bumping her nose against the other girl's before leaning in slightly to connect their lips, "I'm actually quite excited about this party now." She murmured against the diva's lips, "I want party hats and an ice cream cake."

The brunette chuckled softly, "You think you're so funny don't you?" she stated teasingly.

"I'm not kidding!" she exclaimed, "What do you think Luke?" she asked, taking the boy's hand in hers, "You want ice cream cake and party hats?"

"Yeah." The little boy exclaimed with a beaming smile.

Quinn nodded her head, kissing Rachel's cheek, "The boss has spoken ice cream cake and party hats are a must."

"Alright " the brunette exhaled, "Hope you're in the mood for some shopping we have an ice cream cake to get."

The party was in full swing by 12pm, the entire glee club as well as Kevin having arrived. All the boys were running around with party hats on Puck had said it was because they didn't want Lucas to be the only one with a hat on, but Rachel had a feeling they actually wanted to wear them. There were balloons hanging for the living room ceiling; the treats, salads and ice cream cake were set up on the dining room table and a barbeque had been fired up on the back porch.

Lucas was standing by the baby gate that separated him from the back porch and watched the boys playing football in the yard while Kevin manned the barbeque, a forlorn look on his face. He pulled on the gate, a whimper escaping him when it didn't budge he wanted to go outside.

He looked up at the man standing by the barbeque, "Kev " he whimpered pitifully, drawing the detective's attention to him, "Kev " all the boys in the yard mimicked before bursting out into raucous laughter, which was immediately halted by a single glare sent their way by Detective Harding.

Kevin held his glare on the boys for a moment longer, only turning around and walking towards the small boy when they had returned to their game. He knelt down by the gate and smiled warmly at Lucas. It had taken a long time for the two of them to reach this level of comfort he had been a permanent fixture in the Fabray household for the last 6 weeks and only in the last week did the blonde boy actually begin to interact with him he was honoured that Lucas now trusted him, he was the last member of the Fabray family to warm up to him and now that he had he truly felt like he belonged.

"Hey buddy. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Out Kev." He begged, his little feet stamping on the floor.

"You have to ask your mommies buddy or if you prefer you can ask granny, and if she says yes come back here and I'll take you out, okay?" Kevin explained gently.

Lucas pouted up at the man, "Please!" he begged.

"I'm sorry buddy you are going to need to ask your mommies or granny first, then come back here and we'll make a plan." The detective reiterated, ruffling the small boy's hair as he stood up and walked back to the barbeque.

Lucas watched the man walk away with a sigh and sat down on the floor, his mommies had already said that he could go outside later when they went with him, and granny was too busy to take him out now so he resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going outside anytime soon.

Lucas had been sitting by the door for the last hour with his truck that Quinn had bought him after he blatantly refused to come and sit with the girls in the living room.

The boys had taken to taunting the small boy, teasing him about the idea that he couldn't get outside. They would offer him sweets and chocolates and when he finally gained enough courage to stretch for it they would move it just out of his reach much to their amusement. Kevin quickly nipped that particular game in the butt; pointing out how cruel it actually was so they had taken to entering and leaving the house at an alarming frequency, teasing the boy that way.

Sam stopped by Lucas on his way back out of the house, "Hey Luke come on, let's go play outside." He said enthusiastically, standing up and stepping over the gate, all the boys smirking at him. Lucas stood up and walked to the gate, whimpering when he realised that he still couldn't get out.

"Awww, sorry buddy .I forgot you couldn't get over." Sam stated with faux sympathy, the other boys all snickering behind him.

The smiles instantly fell from the boys' faces when a 5ft.2 brunette fireball appeared behind Lucas, arms akimbo and eyebrow arched see was clearly not happy. "Tell me I did not just hear you taunting my baby," She stated, her voice firm and crisp.

The boys all nervously stared at each other, none of them really wanting to address the diva. It was after another moment of silent communication that Puck pushed Finn forward, hoping that the boy's dopey smile would save them.

"We didn't mean it in a bad way Rach we were just treating him like one of the guys," Finn explained with a shrug of his shoulders, dopey smile firmly in place.

The brunette bent down and picked up Lucas, "I'm not sure I like you guys treating him like one of the boys. The last time you did that he got drenched while he had an ear infection." She stared down at the blonde head resting on her shoulder, his hand fisted tightly around her shirt."You know " she began, a smirk forming on her lips, "I wonder what Quinn would think about your playful teasing. I think we should go tell mommy what the mean boys were doing, huh?"

Rachel cooed, addressing the small boy. Lucas nodded his head against her shoulder, snuggling closer to her.

"Okay " she murmured, kissing his head, "She's going to love this." She added as she turned around and made her way to the living room, an amused glint in her eyes.

All the boys stood stock still for a moment, just staring at each other, their collective blood running cold at the memory of the last time the HBIC went all mama bear on them, before Puck took off behind the diva, the boys following close behind, "Rach!" he yelled, "We're really sorry Please don't tell Quinn!"

A short while later, after Quinn had ripped the boys a new one, everybody was scattered around the living room enjoying their lunch.

Rachel was seated next to Judy, a look of absolute adoration on her face as she watched Quinn help Lucas with his lunch. The two were seated together on the single seater eating their ice cream cake well Quinn was eating hers, Lucas looked like more had ended up on his cheeks than in his mouth.

"Is that nice baby?" Rachel questioned.

Lucas turned away from where Quinn was holding another piece of cake out to him and smiled brightly at the brunette, nodding his head emphatically.

"That's good baby," she responded before turning her focus to the blonde, "how many pieces has he had love?" Quinn placed the piece she was holding into Lucas mouth, "That makes three," she exclaimed, licking her fingers.

"Well..." the diva began, "that settles it then, you are going to sit with him tonight and try to get him to eat dinner."

The blonde stared at the diva, "Why I'm doing lunch, which means you do dinner."

Judy shook her head from her position next to Rachel, "I'm with Rach on this one honey. Lucas loves eating with you because you always give him what he wants, and then Rach and I have to battle to feed him his vegetables and purity. It's about time you tried to feed him the food that he needs but doesn't want."

Quinn stared incredulously at them; she had seen what had happened to both her mom and Rachel when they had attempted to feed Lucas the food he never wanted to eat both women were now several sweaters shorter. She was satisfied with the arrangement they had, she got to share all the food she loved with the boy, and her mom and Rachel ensured that he got all the other nutrients he needed it worked well for them.

"Do I have too?" she whined.

"Yes," Rachel stated firmly. "You were the one who chose to feed him only cake so you will be the one to battle with him at dinner," she added with an amused glint in her eye and a casual shrug of her shoulder.

"Fine," she grumbled, wiping off Lucas' face with a serviette, "but I'm wearing one of your sweaters," she mumbled, under her breath.

Quinn was seated in the lazy boy, Lucas standing between her legs as the two prepared to open presents. The blonde had decided that she wanted the small boy to help her unwrap her presents, what Rachel had told her about his first birthday had been plaguing her and she had wanted him to experience some of things he missed to experience the joy and excitement that came with ripping off wrapping paper and seeing what was hidden by it.

She ruffled his hair before dropping a kiss to his forehead, "Mercedes," she called, drawing the girl's focus to her, "Could you please bring me the first gift?"She asked with a giddy smile.

Lucas watched the girl intently as she picked up a wrapped box and began walking towards him. The closer she got, the more nervous he became. Slowly and as subtly as possible he began to move closer to Quinn, his eyes never leaving the approaching girl, until he had basically twisted right around, the side of his head buried into the blonde's stomach.

Quinn stared down at the small boy attempting to burrow into her, his fist clenching tightly against her thigh as Mercedes came to a stop in front of them. She placed one hand on his back; rubbing it soothingly it broke her heart to see him still so uncomfortable around the other Glee members. "Thanks Cedes," she stated softly as she took the gift from the girl with her free hand, offering her a small sympathetic smile.

Mercedes, just like all the other glee members, was aware of Lucas condition and therefore took no offense to the cautious glare he was currently giving her. Sure it hurt a little that he was still so uncomfortable around them, but she had faith that he would come around eventually. She returned the cheerleaders smile with a nod of her head before turning and walking back to her chair.

Lucas instantly relaxed against Quinn when the other girl was no longer in their vicinity, taking comfort from the blonde's presence and the protection it provided him. Quinn smiled down at the little boy, who had begun patting her thigh gently,

"you want to help me open up this present," she murmured softly into his ear.

Lucas stood quietly for a while, picking invisible lint off the blonde's pants, before finally giving a shy nod of his head.

"Okay " the blonde replied, turning him around so that he was facing everybody and placed the box on the floor in front of him, "Open it up buddy."

Lucas eyed the box carefully before finally bending down to un-wrap the gift. Quinn got him started by making a small rip in the corner and from there he went wild, wrapping paper ending up everywhere. His eyes lit up once all the paper had been removed and he saw that there was actually something in there. He instantly went to unwrap it further, to see what else would miraculously appear, only to have his mommy remove it from his grip.

Quinn looked at the box holding glass bottles of various shapes filled with an array of bath salts and oils. "Thank you so much you guys," she stated offering both Mercedes and Kurt a smile of gratitude.

"It was honestly no problem my dear," Kurt answered before gesturing to the small boy who was staring at the box with nothing short of lust in his eyes, "just keep it away from him, it's glass and can break easily we don't need little hands helping it along."

The blonde glared at him for a moment, "I'm going to assume you are concerned for Lucas' well being and not just the glass bottles?" She questioned, eyebrow arched in challenge.

Even though it was posed as a question he knew it was more of a statement, there being only one real answer. "Of course Quinn Do you honestly think I'm shallow enough to care more for glass bottles than a baby?" He asked rhetorically with an indignant huff He totally was that shallow, but she didn't need to know that.

"That's what I thought," she responded, picking up a gift bag next. She placed the bag on the floor in front of Lucas and watched as he slowly, almost hesitantly opened the bag, his eyes widening in shock and awe as he pulled a shirt out She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking in that moment.

Lucas quickly shut the bag and reopened it, a frown appearing on his face when something else didn't miraculously appear. He threw the bag aside and picked up the shirt, instantly beginning to look for the open end maybe there's something in there.

Rachel giggled when she saw Lucas attempting to find the opening to the shirt, assuming instantly that he wanted to put it on. "Luke, I don't think Oh, okay then!" she exclaimed, previous trail of thought completely forgotten as the little boy pulled the shirt over his head.

Quinn helped him finish putting it on, the shirt looking more like a long sleeved dress on him. Lucas looked down at the shirt on him, no present in there There goes the idea of miraculously appearing items.

"Well " Mike began with a grin, staring at the baby wearing the t-shirt with Bob Marley's face emblazoned on the front, "when Tina and I bought it we had you in mind, but it looks like Luke is going to be needing one of his own."

"Yip " Santana stated with a smirk, "No broadway for that baby, Berry."

"While I would love for him to take an interest in broadway, if he doesn't I won't love him any less," she exclaimed with a fond smile. "Just as long as he has music in his life, that's all that matters."

"Please Rach," Puck stated, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "there's no question that music is going to be a permanent fixture for this little guy His badass uncle No-No is going to be in a rock band after all."

Santana burst out laughing, drawing everyone's attention to her, "I'm sorry," she snorted, "but badass and No-No do not go together."

The entire glee club began to snicker and chuckle their agreement much to Puck's chagrin, "yeah " he grumbled, "that's got to change when he gets older."

"No-No," Lucas exclaimed in response to the mention of Puck's nickname, the joy on his little face instantly causing the mohawked boy to grin.

"Nah you know what? Laugh all you want, I'm uncle No-No and I'm damn proud of it," Puck stated smugly, standing tall.

Rachel wrapped her arm around her best friend giving him a squeeze, "I happen to love No-No very much," she stated softly, with a warm smile.

Puck ducked his head with a bashful smile, "Thanks Rach," he murmured quietly, "he loves you too."

"I hate to break this love fest," Quinn stated, fixing them with a faux glare, "But I do believe Luke and I have some more gifts to open."

Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde playfully, letting go of Noah and walking over to the two blondes. She slid behind Quinn on the couch and placed a kiss behind her ear, "I love you." She murmured.

Quinn leaned back into the brunette, "You better." She responded with a teasing smirk, turning her head slightly and placing a kiss on the diva's cheek. Rachel had just turned her head so that she could reciprocate the blonde's affection when Brittany squealed, effectively ruining the moment. Quinn chuckled lightly, her forehead resting against the brunette's, "We'll pick this back up later."

She whispered softly, the statement only meant for the diva's ears. Rachel closed her eyes and released a resigned sigh she really wanted that kiss, "Okay." She murmured, "But I expect it with interest."

"Which I'll be more than happy to give." She purred seductively, placing a chaste kiss to the girl's lips before turning to Brittany to open her gift next leaving a now very frustrated diva pouting behind her.

It was early evening by the time all the gifts had been opened. All the Glee Club members were sprawled out on the floor and over various pieces of furniture reminiscing about some of the Glee's finer moments, and Judy and Kevin had retired to the den to 'allow the kids sometime to spend together without the old people hovering around them', which actually meant 'so we can have some alone time.'

Lucas was seated on the floor in front of the chair Rachel and Quinn were cuddled on just observing everyone. Nobody was paying attention to him, they were all to observed in whatever they were talking about it was the perfect time to make his move. He looked up to the table and instantly noticed the box he was looking for the one with the pretty coloured bottles in. He turned his attention back to everyone, making sure no one was taking notice of him, he began to discreetly creep towards the one thing that he perceived his heart to desire he wanted to open that box and see those bottles every since they were so suddenly removed from his grasp. A small smile formed on his lips as he arrived at his destination, all he had to do now was stretch up and he would have his prize Judy was walking to the kitchen to get some more coffee for herself and Kevin when she noticed Lucas through the living room door. The small boy was standing with his back towards her, facing the table, his arms outstretched, valiantly trying to reach one of the presents on the top of the pile. She couldn't help but grin at his antics, she wasn't concerned at all, even at full stretch he was too short to reach the gift that was until she noticed the ribbon hanging from the box. Her smile instantly turned into a look of horror, everything seeming to move in slow motion as Lucas noticed the small pink string and grabbed it, beginning to tug gently.

Judy watched in terror as the shifting box started a chain reaction of sorts, causing the boxes below it to begin wobbling. It was only when the box was just about to topple off the pile, no doubt causing an avalanche of the other gifts, that she was snapped out of her trance and into action there was no way she was going to be able to make it across the room to the small boy before he gave the final tug so she decided to use her voice, projecting in a way that would make Rachel proud.

"LUCAS STOP!" She yelled frantically from the door, causing the small boy to fling the ribbon as if it had just burned him, stumbling backwards and right into his toy truck. Everyone watched with various degrees of shock as the small boy fell backwards onto his bum.

The other Glee members all watched with baited breath as the small boy's bottom lip began to quiver, they knew what was coming they also knew how protective the girl's and Judy were of the small boy and were therefore expecting a flurry of movement at any moment so they were absolutely shocked when that wasn't what they got at all.

In fact all three were acting very nonchalant about it, Judy even walked away from the sobbing baby. Rachel slowly got off the couch and walked towards the small boy, "You're okay." she stated placatingly as she bent down to pick him up, "It was just a small fall, it's not the end of the world." She cooed, carrying him back over to the chair with her, "I promise you're not dying, you're going to be just fine."

Quinn opened her arms allowing both Lucas and Rachel to curl up in her lap. "Feeling better now?" she asked the small boy as she wiped the tears from his eyes, he was still breathing shakily but he wasn't sobbing anymore.

Lucas nodded his head, burying his face into the brunette's chest, clearly feeling more embarrassed about the situation than hurt by the actual fall.

Quinn turned her focus away from her family and was instantly met by several shocked and confused faces. She knew she had no obligation to tell them anything, but they were their friends and they were around Lucas frequently so she felt they deserved to know what was going on, "We took Lucas to the doctor recently when we noticed that he tended to spend an awful lot of time on his back side instead of on his feet." She began, staring down at the small boy who appeared to be dozing off, "he explained to us that it was likely that Lucas would have poor coordination due to his condition which in basic terms means he is going to be clumsy."

"Okay "Mercedes said slowly, "but that doesn't explain why you were all so blasé about him falling?"

"The doctor told us the best thing to do was to not make a big thing about it every time it happens. If it is something that is going to be happening on a regular basis then we need to normalise it as much as possible. That and we have begun to notice that he is a bit of a drama queen and attention seeker just like his mama." Quinn explained with a cheeky smile, earning herself a subtle elbow to the ribs from said diva.

"Bottom line " Rachel whispered, so as not to wake the lightly dozing baby, "If you see him fall, don't just leave him there to sit and cry, but don't make a big deal out of it either. Just help him up, tap him on the bum and send him on his way."

She explained, their friends all nodding their heads in understanding. Sam stretched from his position on the floor, deciding a change of topic was in order, "I don't know about you guys, but I definitely could do a movie now."

Finn nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah let's put the little dude to bed and then settle in for a good old gore fest."

Quinn glared at the boy, his complete lack of consideration astounding her. She was just about to give him a piece of her mind when she felt a small hand squeeze her thigh.

"It's okay baby." Rachel murmured softly, placing a soothing kiss to the girl's cheek. She hadn't watched a horror movie since her dads had been murdered, she didn't need to she had lived her own one and it wasn't something she would forget soon. It wasn't on continuous loop anymore, but there was definitely still the occasional nightmare. There were still some things that she wasn't ready to do yet, but this wasn't one of them anymore .she could do this one; she would do this one for her friends, for herself, for her family. "I'll have with you with me and if it at any point it gets too much for me I'll leave."

The blonde looked at her reluctantly, "I don't know Rach " she murmured hesitantly. She had been there for every one of the girl's nightmares, and while they had lessened in frequency they still scared her just the same. What the diva had seen wasn't something that could be erased and she didn't like the idea at all of putting her in a position that would deliberately bring all those memories to the forefront.

"Please Quinn " she whispered quietly, "I want to do this I need to do this. There are going to be other movie nights and I don't want our friends to feel the need to censor themselves around me." She cupped the blonde's cheek gently and placed a kiss to her lips, "I'm going to have to do this sooner or later so why not now when I have you and all our friends with me."

Quinn stared into pleading eyes for a moment before finally nodding her head, "Okay, but we take the love seat and you're lying behind me so that if anything scary happens you can use me as a shield."

Rachel smiled lovingly at the cheerleader, "I would have done that even if we were watching a comedy."

Judy came in to take Lucas to bed so that the girls could watch the movie and spend time with their friends without any interruptions. It wasn't long before the lights were off and everybody was laying around the room awaiting the start of the movie as Puck pressed play.

Quinn placed her hand on the thigh that was hooked around her, a smile forming on her face at the feeling of the diva's entire body resting flush against her own. If someone had told her 2 years ago that she would be spending her 18th birthday with the Glee club, dating Rachel Berry with their baby asleep upstairs, and her mom and her boyfriend in the den down the hall she probably would have ensured that you had a daily slushie facial for the rest of your high school career but now well now, she wouldn't have it any other way.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay guys, here it is...the last official chapter to this story. I hope it is a satisfactory ending for all of you :) There will be an epilogue that I will hopefully be able to get up in about a week, so you guys still have that to look forward to :)
> 
> There is one particular portion of this chapter that may be seen as supernatural depending on how you look at it. It may make some of you a bit uncomfortable...I think it is unlikely, but it is a possibility. If this is indeed the case, I do apologise in advance...it is merely one point of view, I am aware that others do exist.
> 
> All spelling and grammatical errors are my own and I apologise for them in advance, I didn't really get chance to proof read it, so again there maybe more than usual...sorry !
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love you have shown this story, I am so grateful for all the support you have given it...it means a lot to me. I appreciated every review, alert and favourite this story got :) Please continue to review, tell me what you thought of the chapter, what you would like to see...maybe I'll do a few one-shots :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters...that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I merely borrowing them temporarily.
> 
> Without further adieu here is the last chapter.

**_Chapter 14_ **

 

Rachel stood on the pathway leading up to her home, no not her home; it hadn't been her home for months now. It was the place that she grew up in, that she lived with her dads in before they moved onto a better place, and she did too.

It had taken her a while to get to this point, she hadn't set foot in the house since that time all those months ago with Danni, but she finally felt she was ready this was her last chance to say goodbye and to truly put the whole situation behind her. She looked down at the keys in her hand, they felt heavy with the memories that she held of this house and she knew they would serve the same purpose for their new owners.

The decision to sell the house hadn't been a difficult one for her, but that's not to say it had been made lightly either Judy and Quinn made sure of that. The two women sat for hours discussing her options with her, but ultimately she felt selling would be for the best. The house held nothing for her anymore, she had believed for so long that it was the sole source for all her memories, it was only after months of therapy that she came to realise that her memories of her dads and her childhood were not in fact linked to any one physical item but rather existed within her, that she was truly able to let go of the house and all of its contents for the first time in months she experienced absolute relief, like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

A gentle hand on her shoulder drew her focus to one Judy Fabray standing next to her. She had initially wanted to do this on her own but Quinn had very nearly had a conniption at just the thought of it. The blonde had wanted to be the one to go with her, but she hadn't wanted the girl to be reminded of everything that had happened to have to see her relive one of the worst days of her life. Just because she was willingly putting herself into a situation that was likely to cause emotional hurt and pain didn't mean she was willing to put Quinn in that position it would do no good for both of them to be haunted by the memory. So after one very loud discussion (read: argument) that ended in the blonde threatening to withhold Rachel finally relented and agreed to Judy coming with, a decision that she was ultimately very happy about.

"You're ready for this?" Judy asked gently.

Rachel exhaled slowly, leaning into the woman slightly, "I have to be." She murmured.

The older woman frowned in concern, "We don't have to do this you know." She said slowly, "We can just wait out here for the real estate agent."

The brunette gave Judy a small smile, "This is my last chance to do this, we leave tomorrow and the real estate agent takes the keys today." She explained, emphasising her point by shifting the keys around in her hand, "I need to take the opportunity while I still have it." Judy nodded her head in understanding, today was officially their last day in Lima, the girls had graduated from McKinley a month ago and had spent the time since ensuring all their affairs were in order before they left for New York. They had naturally wanted Lucas to go with them, which meant Judy had to make the move as well as she was legally, in the eyes of the law, his guardian. But even with Judy going, there were still so many obstacles and red tape they had to overcome to ensure Lucas was allowed to come to New York. It took several meetings with the social worker and the transference of their paperwork to the New York branch before they were finally given the go ahead. What came as a complete shock to both girls was when Judy explained that Kevin would in fact be making the move with them. The older woman couldn't help the small smile that broke out on her face as the memory of the day she told them that little titbit of information came to the forefront of her mind.

Quinn and Rachel sat next to each other on the couch, staring at Judy sitting opposite them with matching looks of shock on their faces. They had absolutely no idea what to think or even how to respond to what the older Fabray had just told them. They liked Kevin a lot, he was a really sweet guy and he treated Judy well but moving to New York with them? That seemed a little hasty.

"Don't you think it's a little early in your relationship to be taking a step like this?" Quinn asked, having finally found her voice.

"Honey, when you reach our age you want to make the most of the time you have. So we decided to do what you lesbians do and merge our assets as soon as possible." Judy explained with a smirk.

Rachel burst out laughing while Quinn sat in horrified silence, a blush instantly colouring her cheeks. "Touché Judes." Rachel exhaled as her laughter died down, "If it's what you two really want, then I'm happy for you."

Judy smiled warmly at the brunette, "It is what we want. He makes me very happy."

"Then we are happy to have him join us aren't we Quinn?" The diva questioned, nudging the silent blonde next to her.

When the blonde still made no attempt to answer she leaned into the girl to whisper in her ear, "There are worse men than Kevin Quinn. As far as men go he's one of the good ones."

Quinn held a stony faÃ§ade for a moment longer before relaxing her shoulders with a sigh and a nod of her head, "I just don't understand why you need to live together. And " she quickly added before Judy could respond, "because the lesbians do it isn't a good enough answer." She added seriously.

"Sweetheart it is ultimately more feasible for us to pool our resources, New York is a much more expensive place to live than Lima living together will allow us to save more." She explained gently.

Both girls nodded their heads in understanding. They had found themselves in a very fortunate situation, the sale of the Berry house, together with her dads' substantial life insurances and their college funds had put them in a position where money really was no issue for them so sometimes it slipped their minds how expensive and difficult it was to actually live and survive in New York City.

"Alright " Quinn acquiesced, "Then I'm happy for you." She stated with a genuine smile, standing up and hugging her mother.

Rachel stood up and hugged the woman as well, "He hasn't left himself much time before we leave. Will he be ready to go in a week?"

"Of course." Judy stated confidently, "He's been a bachelor all his life, he doesn't really own any valuable possessions and he handed in his resignation today he's basically ready to go."

Quinn nodded her head, wrapping her arm around Rachel, "Looks like we have one more person to add to our rag tag little family this is going to be one fun trip." She mused dropping a kiss to the brunette's head.

Rachel hummed happily, "I can't wait."

Judy was drawn from her thoughts by the diva inhaling and exhaling shakily, her entire body shuddering as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. The older woman dropped her hand from the girl's shoulder to her hand, gripping it tightly, "I'm with you every step of the way." She whispered softly.

Rachel gave a short nod of her head, squeezing her hand tightly as she began to slowly approach the house, Judy right next to her just as she promised. Quinn stumbled down the stairs early the next morning just in time to see Rachel and Lucas about to head out the door, "Hey " she mumbled tiredly, "Where are you two off to?" she questioned.

"Well " Rachel drawled, slowly walking over to Quinn and wrapping her arms around the girl's neck, "Seeing as how we didn't sleep much last night, we had lots of time to plan and we decided there was something we needed to do this morning before we leave."

Quinn cringed in sympathy. Lucas had been completely unmanageable since they had begun packing up his nursery. They realised it was likely due to fear that he was scared they were giving him back, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier to handle him. Rachel had opted to sit up all night with the screaming child in the den downstairs, so that Judy, Kevin and Quinn could get some sleep upstairs seeing as how the three would be driving the next day and therefore needed to be well rested and alert.

The blonde leant forward and placed a gentle kiss to the tired diva's lips, "Did you get any sleep last night at all?"

Rachel shook her head, "Luke drifted off at about 7am and by that time I had already started getting ready for our early morning plans." She explained, looking over Quinn's shoulder at the clock and noticing it was 08:30, "He woke up about half an hour ago, just in time for me to get him dressed and for us to be on our way."

The blonde furrowed her brows in concern, a feeling of guilt settling in the pit of her stomach here she was feeling refreshed after having a full night's sleep when her family barely slept at all, "Why don't you go shut your eyes for a bit and I'll watch Lucas for a while."

Rachel smiled lovingly, gently cupping the girl's cheeks, "Thank you baby, but this is something we really have to do before we go." She explained gently, pecking her lips, "We'll get plenty of sleep on the trip to New York."

Quinn nodded her head, kissing Rachel's palm before walking over to the stroller and bending down to place a kiss to Lucas' head, "Where are you going anyway?"

The brunette stood with her arms crossed, a small smile on her face as she watched the two interact with each other, "I'm thinking it's about time that Lucas meets his grandpas."

The cheerleader's head instantly snapped towards her, a look of absolute concern on her face, she just didn't know if it was for her, Lucas or both.

"Are you sure that's a good idea." She asked as she slowly returned to an upright position, her finger still firmly gripped in Lucas' fist.

Rachel nodded her head quickly, truth was she wasn't sure about it at all, but it was something she felt she needed to do for both herself and Lucas. "Yes, I think it would be good for Lucas. Plus he's at an age at the moment where he's still young enough to forget if it's, for some unexplainable reason, a traumatising experience for him." She rambled, "I mean, I would never intentionally put him in."

Quinn slowly walked over to the girl, cupping her face in her hands, instantly stopping her rant. She knew the brunette better than she knew anyone sometimes better than she knew herself, and she knew the minute she began to ramble that she was nervous or uncomfortable about something she was attempting to hide behind her words. She stared attentively into brown eyes, searching for that small inconspicuous sign that would confirm all her concerns, when she noticed the glint of uncertainty reflected back at her, "I'm more concerned about you right now baby." She murmured softly.

The diva bought her hands up and gripped the blonde's wrist, nuzzling into one of her palms, "Thank you " she whispered, "but I need to do this. I I need to to see it see them before we go." She had tried to keep her emotions under wraps by only allowing herself to view the situation in an intellectual, factual manner, but between Quinn and her uncanny ability to tap into her emotions and the ever approaching visit to the graveyard, she was finding it increasingly difficult to do as such.

Quinn leaned down and placed a sweet kiss to Rachel's nose before resting her forehead against the girl's, her thumbs gently brushing stray tears from her cheeks. She was very aware that this would be the first time since the funeral that Rachel would be going to the graveyard and the idea that she was going to be alone, Lucas aside, just did not sit right with her she wanted to be there for her, to support her protect her keep her safe, "Let me come with you." She whispered, brushing her nose lovingly against the diva's.

The brunette closed her eyes, allowing herself to be engulfed by the feelings radiating off the blonde in waves. She knew that as much as she needed to do this, Quinn needed to be there will she did. She had already denied her once when she went to the house, and even though she had had a good reason she was sure the girl thought that she just didn't want her there didn't need her, and she never wanted her to feel like that she needed Quinn she'd always need Quinn, "Okay " she whispered softly, pushing up gently to connect their lips.

The blonde smiled into the kiss, placing a series of pecks to the girl's lips before pulling back, "I'll go throw some clothes on and then we can go." She exclaimed, turning around and heading towards the stairs.

Rachel smiled at the girl's eagerness to come with them, reaching out she grabbed Quinn's wrist and tugged her back into her, "Take your time baby." She stated gently, "Luke and I are meeting Danni first to say goodbye, and you don't need to be with us for that." She explained, re-clasping her hands behind the girl's neck, "You can meet us at the graveyard in about an hour maybe you can fetch Puck and drop him off here before you come we don't want Kevin to have to do all the packing by himself."

Quinn nodded her head in agreement, they had a lot they still had to do before they left and they couldn't really afford for both Rachel and her to be M.I.A. for most of the morning. She figured since the diva had sent the whole night awake with Lucas she could be given a reprieve from all the morning duties, "Okay " she murmured reluctantly, "I'll meet you there in an hour. I f you're going to arrive within an hour call me and I'll get there as fast as I can."

"I will baby, I promise." She exclaimed, "But I can assure you it's highly unlikely, Danni is really good company and once she starts talking it's quite difficult to get her to stop." She explained with a frown, just realising how much of a problem that little trait may be to her plans.

Quinn chuckled wryly, "Sounds like someone else I know."

Rachel gave an indignant squeak, shoving the blonde in her shoulder and walking towards the stroller by the door, "We best be going now if we are to have any hope of getting to the graveyard, what with two blabbermouths getting together and all." She explained with faux annoyance, opening her door to begin her trek to the caffee.

The blonde walked up behind the girl and wrapped her arms around her waist, halting her progress, "I love that blabbermouth and everything that comes out of it." She mumbled softly into her ear, placing a lingering kiss to her neck.

The brunette leant back into the embrace for a moment before extracting herself from the girl's hold, "I love you too." She replied, turning her head so she could place one final kiss to the blonde's lips, "We'll see you in an hour." She stated as turned away and began to push the stroller down the path.

Quinn nodded her head; leaning against the door frame as she watched her family head out to start their day an hour couldn't come fast enough. Quinn pulled up at the graveyard just over an hour later and was out the car and walking to the Berry men's graves in a matter of seconds. She felt like causing irreversible bodily harm to Noah Puckerman, who wasn't slightly ready by the time she arrived to fetch him he was solely to blame for her being late.

She didn't know whether to feel relieved or upset when she saw Lucas and Rachel already seated by the graves she had wanted so badly to be with them when they arrived, but she wasn't and there was nothing she could do about that.

What she could do was take the opportunity she still had and be there for them now. Her level of concern grew with every step that carried her closer to her family and her ultimate destination. She could clearly see Rachel's slumped defeated posture, her whole body clearing shaking with silent sobs she was no doubt trying to restrain for Lucas' benefit. Her focus turned to the normally vibrant baby, who was sitting sombrely on the spread blanket, just watching the brunette almost as if he knew it needed to happen.

The minute Quinn was within reach she collapsed onto her knees on the blanket and wrapped her arms around the crying girl, "It's okay baby I got you." She murmured into her ear, "Shhh you're okay I'm here now."

"It hurts Quinn." Rachel gasped through a sob, "It hurts so bad."

"I know "Quinn whimpered, head immediately snapping skyward in an inane attempt to stem the flow of tears that were starting to fall she hated that the diva was in so much pain and she couldn't really do anything about it, "I know."

She pulled the sobbing girl into her lap and wrapped her arm around Lucas, pulling him into her side. There was a reason why Rachel had wanted to come to the graveyard, something that she needed to do that they all needed to do, and she was more than aware that she was the one that was going to have to take charge of the situation to ensure that they all got the peace of mind they were so desperately seeking. She took a deep composing breath, taking a moment to organise her thoughts before finally opening her mouth to speak, "Hi Mr. and Mr. Berry, it's a pleasure to finally get a chance to talk to you." She said slowly, the diva's sobs lessening slightly in response to her words, "I wish we could have met and spoke for the first time under more desirable circumstances, but that wasn't what was planned for us and I am truly sorry for that." She explained, the brunette's sobs nothing more that sniffles, the sound of the blonde talking to her fathers soothing her. "My name is Quinn Fabray and I am dating your daughter." She paused for a moment, a nervous chuckle escaping her as if truly facing the men for the first time, "In fact she's more than my girlfriend, she's my soul mate, my future wife, the mother of my children both present and future." She mused fondly, dropping a kiss to both

Lucas' and Rachel's heads. "I know I'm probably not your first choice of suitor for your daughter, especially after everything I did to her in the past, but I can assure you that that will never happen again. Lucas and Rachel are my everything and I promise I will spend the rest of my life making sure they are safe and happy." She explained, looking up at the sky, hoping that they heard her and accepted her. "You don't have to worry anymore " she whispered softly, "I'll take care of them now I won't let you down."

Rachel stared up at the blonde, her eyes still red and puffy but she was no longer crying, in fact a feeling of calm had settled over her. She cupped the back of the other girl's neck and pulled her in for a kiss, "Thank You." She murmured against her lips.

Quinn nodded her head, content just to sit there with her family in silence Lucas however wasn't and he made that abundantly clear when, after what the blonde was sure was only seconds of silence, he patted her on the leg with an expectant look on his face.

"What's up buddy?" Rachel asked, voice hoarse from crying.

"I meet." He stated with a smile.

The brunette's eyes widened in realisation, immediately locking with the blonde's. This was why they were here; she had wanted to formally introduce her little boy to her dads. She knew it was likely that Lucas wasn't going to remember this in a few months, but she would and it was important to her that they meet her dads deserved to know their grandson, just like she was going to make sure Lucas knew them. Quinn gave a slight nod of her head, giving her the reassurance she needed to continue. She smiled at the small boy before reaching out and touching one of the headstones, "Daddy, Dad I would like for you to meet your grandson, Lucas." She stated formally, turning her focus to Lucas who was still curled into Quinn's side, "Luke, do you want to say hi to your grandpas?" she asked softly, somewhat hesitantly.

Lucas looked around, his brow furrowing when he could see nobody else around them, "Where?" he questioned, scratching his head in confusion.

Rachel had expected that Lucas might ask questions she had hoped that he wouldn't, but knew that would be unlikely for the inquisitive little boy. She turned pleading eyes to Quinn; she needed her to answer this question. She knew the blonde would answer it in a way that would be satisfying to Lucas, whereas she would likely resort to facts and just end up confusing him further. "Mommy, do you think you could explain it to him?" she asked, her tone laced with the desperation she felt in that moment.

Quinn placed a kiss to the brunette's forehead before picking up Lucas and standing him in front of them, "Your grandpas can't be seen, but that doesn't mean they're not here." she explained, "They can hear everything you say and can see everything you do they're watching over you."

"Where they?" he asked, eyes wide with interest.

"They live faraway buddy " she explained, "with the angels."

Lucas pondered her answer for a moment before his eyes lit up with excitement, "Visit?" he asked, a small whimper escaping the brunette in response to his question oh, how she wished they could visit.

The blonde inhaled shakily, placing a kiss to the diva's temple, "We can't visit buddy you have to be chosen to go there."

She said softly, deciding an example may be necessary to help him better understand the situation, "You know how when it was mommy's birthday we sent out the piece of paper inviting people to come?" she asked. When the small boy nodded his head she continued, "Well you need a piece of paper like that to get into the place your grandpas are."

Lucas nodded his head, "Ever see them?" he questioned.

Rachel sniffled, pulling Lucas into her lap, Quinn wrapping her around both of them, "Yeah buddy " the brunette exhaled shakily, "One day we will all get our invites to live with the angels, and on that day we'll see them again."

Lucas nodded his head, now apparently satisfied with the explanation. He looked around the graveyard again, seemingly searching for something, before finally settling on the sole bench in the graveyard, a beaming smile breaking out onto his face, "Hello!" he exclaimed excitedly with a wave of his hand.

Quinn and Rachel watched in awe as the small boy waved at the empty bench, "Who you waving at baby?" Rachel asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Grandpas." he exclaimed before turning and cuddling into Rachel's chest.

Both girls locked eyes over his head. They weren't sure as to if he could actually physically saw the men or if he was just trusting that they could hear him and frankly they didn't want to know, they both held the belief that the Berry men were always with them, whether physically or not didn't matter to them they didn't need that reassurance.

Rachel looked at the two headstones and then back at the two blondes, "Do you think I could have a minute?" she questioned softly.

Quinn nodded her head in understanding, extracting herself from her family. She picked up Lucas and placed a kiss to the brunette's lips before standing up from the blanket, "Wave bye to your grandpas Luke." She stated, the small boy instantly smiling and waving at the bench.

"Goodbye Hiram and Leroy, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. We'll come back and visit the next time we're in Lima."

She said, before turning around and walking towards the car. Rachel watched their retreating forms for a few more moments before returning her focus to the tombstones. She wiped the tears from her eyes, a trembling smile on her face, "Hi dad, daddy." She exhaled shakily, "I'm sorry I haven't been to visit before now, I've just been " she chuckled self deprecatingly, "I actually don't know what I've been I don't know why I haven't been." She paused, staring off into the distance, "I guess I've been scared coming here would be like really letting you go, like admitting that you were dead and that you weren't coming back, and I wasn't ready to do that yet until now." She started tracing her daddy's name on the tombstone, "You guys were my everything for the longest time and I miss you every day, but I have a new family now and I can't afford to be living in the past if it means I will be missing out on my future with them." She began tracing her dad's name, "They were the one good thing that came out of this terrible, horrible nightmare and I am so blessed to have them in my life I wouldn't give them up for the world." She nodded her head, "Even in death you continued to know what was best for me, even when I didn't thank you so much for leaving me in the care of Judy Fabray. I may have questioned your sanity initially, but I promise it will never happen again."

She gave a wry smile staring up at the sky, "We're all leaving for New York in a few hours, Judy included although I'm sure you already knew that, and I just wanted to stop by and introduce you to my family and to tell you that I'm happy I'm really happy, so don't worry about me anymore, okay because I'm going to be fine." She stood up, picking up and folding the blanket before turning back to the headstones and placing her hand on one of them, "I love you guys so much " she murmured, "I'll see you in my dreams." She placed a kiss to her fingers, gently pushing them to both tombstones before turning around and beginning her trek to the car. She was a few steps away when she spun back around to face the graves, "I know he's not biologically mine, but Lucas actually reminds me an awful lot of you both. He's a small relatively quiet boy just like you daddy, but he's also very protective just like you dad." She explained softly, a fond smile gracing her features at the thought of her son, "As long as he's in my life I will never be able to forget you and I promise you with all that I am, that he will know all about his grandpas the greatest men I have ever known." She gave one final nod before turning around for the last time and continuing her trek to the car ready for the fresh start New York held for her and her family.

Kevin locked the door to the Fabray house before walking over to join the group standing on the lawn, "Alright, the house is locked up." He exclaimed, dropping the keys into Judy's outstretched hand as he came to a stop next to her, "Are we all ready to get this show on the road?"

Rachel nodded her head leaning back into the blonde who was embracing her from behind, "I think both Luke and I are looking forward to shutting our eyes the minute we're in the car and on the road." She mused, staring down at the small boy cuddled in her arms.

"All the more reason we should get going." Puck stated, staring at the girls new blood red Nissan Murano with nothing short of intimate desire in his eyes. It was the one gift they bought themselves with the additional money they obtained through the sale of the Berry house.

"You're only agreeing because you want to get behind the wheel of how was it that you referred to it that magnificent piece of machinery." Santana mused with a smirk, her arms wrapped tightly around Brittany. Brittany and Santana were headed off to NYU with the girls, while Puck was forgoing university to start a rock band with Finn and Sam. He was heading out now with the girls to get everything set up and they were going to be joining him in a few weeks.

Quinn could feel how heavily the exhausted brunette was sagging against her and knew that she was likely the only thing holding her up at that moment, "It doesn't matter why he said it, just that he was right. We don't want to arrive in New York too late." She stated resolutely, placing a kiss to Rachel's cheek.

Judy stood with a look of adoration on her face as she watched her daughter saw her family gently in her arms, "Alright!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, "Everyone do your last minute checks, make sure you've got everything you need because we leave in a minute."

"Yeah!" Puck exclaimed with a fist pump to the air, "I'll lead the way."

"No!" Kevin and Judy yelled simultaneously, receiving several looks of confusion in response.

"I'll lead " Kevin began, "I've made the trip before, so I know where I'm going and I sat with Rachel for 3 hours the other night planning all the stops so there will be less chance of anyone getting lost." He explained slowly.

Puck sighed with a resigned nod of his head, "Okay I'll follow you."

"No!" they exclaimed once again, the looks they were receiving were now more exasperated than confused.

"Why?" Puck asked, his tone conveying his frustration with the situation.

Judy and Kevin locked eyes, they couldn't actually just come out and say they were scared Brittany and Santana would get lost if they rode at the back so they did the next best thing, "I think making you ride at the back will help maintain your speed." Judy explained slowly, patting the boy's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Puck pouted, "I wouldn't speed with the girls and Lucas in the car." He stated softly, bowing his head hurt that they still thought so little of him.

"We know Noah." Judy stated gently, "Nobody is saying you would do it intentionally...it's just a precautionary measure."

She leaned in so that only he could hear her, "I trust you Noah, I wouldn't be letting you drive my family if I didn't." she whispered, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "Plus if you're at the back you can keep an eye on Santana and Brittany make sure they don't get lost?" she added with a wry smile.

Puck looked at the older Fabray woman with a small smile, it felt good to know that she trusted him that was just a stone's throw away from actually liking him he was almost there, "Okay." He stated with a nod of his head.

"Good boy." Judy exclaimed, giving his shoulder one more pat before walking off towards Kevin by their car. Rachel sudled up next to Puck, who was just staring at the older Fabray woman as she walked away, "She's right you know."

"Hmmm?" he hummed in question, directing his attention to the petite diva standing next to him.

"She's right " she reiterated, "and you know it the minute you get behind the wheel of that car you're going to want to see how fast it can go."

Puck gave an indignant squeak, about to protest what had just been said when he saw the knowing look the girl was giving him. He sighed with a resigned nod of his head, he could never fool his Jew princess, "You're right, but I promise to try my best to ignore all my natural instincts."

Rachel bumped her side against his, "I know you will Noah." She whispered softly.

Puck wrapped his arm around her, squeezing lightly, "Come on " he stated, pulling her into his side as they began to walk to the SUV, where Quinn was strapping Lucas into his chair, "Let's get this show on the road."

Quinn and Rachel were curled up on the blow-up mattress in their new two bedroom apartment, Lucas fast asleep between them.

The brunette ran the back of her hand down the exhausted blonde's cheek, "We're finally here baby." She whispered, her tone of voice expressing her excitement and contentment with their current situation.

Quinn hummed her acknowledgement; placing a kiss to the diva's fingers before snuggling further into the mattress, her eyes closed throughout the entire exchange all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Do you think Puck is going to be okay?" she asked, a tinge of fear to her voice.

The blonde groaned, her eyes fluttering open to stare at the petite diva, "I'm sure he's going to be fine baby." She murmured, "Kevin is going to go around there every night just to keep an eye out and make sure everything is alright so you don't need to worry okay?"

Rachel bit her lip in contemplation; she had almost had a panic attack when they drove into the area that Noah and the other boys had chosen to live in. Kevin had outright refused to let any of the girls leave their cars, insisting that they wait in them with the doors locked while he helped Puck move in. Judy actually wanted to suggest that he come live with them or the girls, but Kevin pointed out how happy the boy looked to have done it on his own and that they would be wrong to take that away from him, so they had come to the compromise that he would stop by nightly to make sure everything was alright. Puck was Rachel's best friend her brother, and the very thought of him living in such an awful area of possibly being hurt, well it made her blood run cold. She wished he wasn't living in such an area, that he wasn't so proud but he was and he is, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it she just had to have faith that everything would turn out for the best. She sighed, snuggling into Quinn's chest, her hand resting on Lucas' back, "I'll try." She mumbled.

Quinn dropped a kiss to the girl's head, her eyes slipping shut again as she pulled her closer, careful not to squash the small boy lying between them, "and I'll be here to reassure you when your worried get to troubling." She whispered tiredly.

Rachel smiled, tilting her head back slightly so she could place a kiss to the girl's chin before cuddling back into her,

"What time are Judy and Kevin getting here tomorrow?"

"I think they are coming around lunch to help us unpack." The blonde stated softly, "Her and Kevin are spending the morning sorting out their own apartment."

Rachel gave a small nod of understanding. It was difficult, but by some miracle the Fabray family managed to find two apartments in the same building complex. Judy had wanted to be close to the girls and Lucas, she couldn't stand the idea of not seeing them everyday and this way she still could. It worked for everyone, the girls got the independence they so desperately wanted and Judy got to be close and keep that connection she was so scared of losing.

"Thank Goodness " she murmured, through a yawn, "that means we can sleep in."

"That would require us actually getting to sleep first." Quinn growled playfully, squeezing the diva tightly.

"Well then you best stop talking Fabray." Rachel mused, a smirk on her lips.

Quinn was just about to remind the diva that it was actually her that was doing all the talking but quickly decided against it, knowing it would just be proving the brunette right, "Night baby, Love you."

"Love you too." She responded with a content smile on her face. Whenever she used to picture what her life in university and New York would be like, she never in her wildest dreams would have pictured this. She was always on her own, her dads back in Lima waiting for her return with open arms, but through a series of unforeseen circumstances she found herself here, with a family and friends that loved her, and while she would have loved for her dads to have been to share it with her she was happy and looking forward to this new stage in her life and all the adventures she was going to share with the people she loved.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys, here it is...the official last chapter of this story. There is however a one-shot in works for this verse that I will try to get up as soon as I can, a word of warning though...it's going to be angsty.  
> For those of you that read 'The Plan' there is also a few one-shots lined up for you, so keep on the look-out for those :)  
> I just want to say a big Thank you to all of you that have take the time to read this story, I really appreciate it. It's nice to now their were people who loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. I really appreciate all the support :)
> 
> Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and alerts this story has received...keep them coming, we still have this chapter and the one-shot to look forward too ;)  
> My twin sister has been a huge help with these last few chapters, and she's also my go to grammar girl, so big thank you to her too :) That being said, I still take full responsibility for any and all grammatical and spelling errors that may appear :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters, that honour belongs to one Mr. Ryan Murphy...I am merely borrowing them temporarily.

**_Chapter 15 Epilogue_ **

 

Quinn walked down the passageway in their apartment, arriving at the door with a small wooden plaque, the name of the rooms occupant displayed in big bubble letters.

A smile played across her lips as she knocked gently on the door. After a few moments of no response she knocked again, slightly harder this time, "Luke!" she called. She stood quietly ear pressed to the door to see if she could hear any noise that could possibly explain why Lucas couldn't hear her calling when realisation dawned on her.

With a roll of her eyes she pushed the door open, revealing the small boy, standing in front of his mirror, attempting to do up his tie. The blonde woman approached her blonde counterpart, dropping a kiss on his head, her fingers running through his floppy locks, "Where is your hearing aid?" she asked as she looked around the room, attebmpting to spot the small device.

"It's on the dressing table." He mumbled, distracted by his determination to do the tie himself.

Quinn picked up the hearing aid and proceeded to fit it to his left ear, patting his shoulder lightly once it was in place,

"Mama told you that the first thing you do in the morning is put in your hearing aid." She chastised gently, stretching over his shoulder so she could guide his hands through the process of doing up a tie. 

"Sorry " he murmured, tongue peaking out in concentration as he attempted to remember everything his hands were doing so that he could repeat it at a later date, "I'm a little nervous this morning so I forgot."

Quinn turned him to face her, kneeling down in front of him as she tightened the tie, "There we go." She stated, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose, "You are looking very dapper today."

The small boy was just over two years of age when his paediatrician discovered his hearing impairment and poor eyesight during a routine medical exam. It came as a huge shock to the family who hadn't noticed any real change in  Lucas' behaviour. The girls were concerned for a while that it would turn out to be something progressive, eventually  resulting in him losing his hearing and eyesight altogether, but were put at ease by the doctor explaining that it was likely as a result of his condition, meaning that it was probable that he had had both issues from birth which could then explain why they hadn't noticed a behavioural change .it wasn't because they were bad parents or neglectful, it was because there hadn't been one.

Lucas smiled bashfully at the compliment, throwing his arms around Quinn's neck, who immediately picked him up, "Thanks mommy." He murmured, nuzzling into her neck, enjoying the calming effect that being close to her had on him he could already feel his heart rate slowing.

The blonde cradled the petite boy to her chest as she began walking back towards the kitchen, where Rachel was making breakfast. This was the one thing about Lucas' condition that she didn't completely begrudge he was small very small. His growth and development were slightly delayed, stunted she remembered one doctor saying as a result he was the size of an average four year old instead of his actual six years of age.

Quinn entered the kitchen, walking directly over to the brunette who was standing by the stove, "Hey mama, look who decided to grace us with his presence." She stated playfully, bouncing Lucas in her arms.

Rachel turned to the duo, a beaming smile on her face, "Well good morning to you little man." She exclaimed, extracting him from the blonde's arms. Lucas smiled at the brunette, placing a kiss to her lips, "Morning mama."

Rachel placed him in his seat before turning back to the stove to get their breakfast, while Quinn set the table, "So are we ready for today?" the diva asked excitedly, returning to the table and dishing up the food.

Lucas exhaled slowly, "I'm nervous." He stated, picking up his plastic fork and taking a bite of his scrambled eggs and bacon bits. Quinn sat down in her chair opposite Rachel at the table after having poured them all a glass of orange juice, salivating at the sight of her bacon and eggs she didn't think it was possible to love the woman more than she already did. She never faulted them for their food choices, she may not have eaten it herself, but she would always cook it for them. She sighed contently looking up at Rachel, "Thanks baby." She stated, picking up her fork and knife before directing her focus to Lucas, "What are you nervous about buddy?" she asked.

He shovelled some scrambled eggs into his mouth, chewing slowly as he thought carefully about his answer, "I don't like talking in front of people." He explained after swallowing.

Rachel stretched over and ran her hand soothingly through his hair, "We know that baby, but you're ready for this. We practiced what you're going to say and we're all going to be there to support you, so you don't have to worry," she cooed.

He nodded his head, still somewhat reluctant today was the day of his first school presentation ever and he was really nervous. The topic was 'My Family' which was complicated enough when trying to explain it to an adult, imagine what it was going to be like to try and explain it to a bunch of first graders what happens if they don't understand and they ask lots of questions what happens if they're late. He bit his lip, his heart rate already beginning to increase again, "I just don't want them to ask a lot of questions," he responded timidly.

Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion, "Are you scared you won't know how to answer?" she asked gently, "Because you don't have to answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable."

He shook his head, "It's not that," he murmured. He was proud of his family, he would happily answer any questions they had he just hoped they didn't have many.

"Then what is it baby?" Rachel asked, becoming more and more concerned as the conversation went on.

"I don't want to be late," he mumbled, gaze fixed on his now empty bowl of food.

Rachel locked eyes with Quinn, a small smile playing on her lips now that she knew what the problem was. She looked over to the small boy with her arms outstretched, indicating for him to come to her which he duly did, picking him up and settling him comfortably on her lap, "Baby, we're not going to be late, I promise." She ran her fingers through his hair, "Your teacher and principal know, that's why your presentation is first and that's why we're leaving right after," she explained softly, poking him lightly in his chest. "Plus both mommy and I and Granny and Grandpa are going to be there and we'll make sure we leave on time we don't want to be late either."

Lucas leaned against the brunette, his head resting against her chest, "Okay," he murmured exhaling in relief they wouldn't let them miss the appointment.

A loud knocking drew the families focus to their front door, "I think granny and grandpa have just arrived," Quinn mused as she stood up and walked over to the door, pulling it open.

"Where's my grandbaby?" Judy exclaimed as soon as the door was open, immediately walking over to the table and extracting him from his mother's arms, "Are you ready for today big boy?" she questioned, squeezing him tightly to her chest, his face buried in her cleavage.

The blonde walked to her mother, leaving an amused Kevin leaning against the door frame. The blonde tapped her mother on her shoulder, drawing the woman's attention to her, "He can't answer if he can't breathe " she stated, attempting to loosen her mother's hold on Lucas, "And good morning to you to, might I add."

Judy finally loosened her grip on the small boy, who still seemed a bit dazed by his grandmother's display of affection,

"I'm sorry honey " she stated, kissing her daughter's cheek, "I'm just so excited about today I've literally been waiting years for this and I can't believe it's finally here."

Lucas nodded his head, staring up at her from his place resting on her hip, "I'm excited too granny and I'm ready." Judy smiled lovingly at the small boy, placing one final kiss to his cheek before passing him to Quinn and making her way over to Rachel to greet her, "And what about the moms how are they feeling?" she asked.

"I think " the brunette began as she and Judy cleared the kitchen table, "they have never been more ready for anything to occur in their lives."

Quinn smiled widely, swaying from side to side with Lucas in her arms, "I think we are all more nervous about the presentation this morning than what's happening after it."

Kevin finally pushed off the door frame and walked into the room to join the conversation, "Well we're all going to be there, so if at any time it all becomes too much just focus on us okay?" he stated, ruffling the petite boy's hair.

Lucas nodded his head in understanding, nuzzling into his mother's neck. Rachel walked over to the two blonde's and wrapped her arm around Quinn, "And on that note, I think we should be on our way we have a lot to do today." She stated, guiding her family towards the front door, picking up her and Quinn's hand bags and a folder off the shelf as she went.

Judy practically skipped into Kevin's arms, her entire body practically vibrating with excitement. "I've got my camera," she called after the girls as Kevin walked her out the apartment, locking the door behind him. "We have got to document this day, it's something you are going to want to remember for the rest of your lives." 

Quinn and Rachel stood at the back of the classroom, looks of pride gracing their faces as their little boy weaved his way through the desks to the front of the room, taking his position on the small wooden box his teacher had placed there for him to stand on so he could be seen clearly by everyone in the class.

He nudged his glasses up his nose, clearing his throat before finally looking up at his classmates and their parents, all waiting patiently for him to begin, his cheeks instantly flushing a deep red as his heart began to beat rapidly. Straight away he sought out his mothers, immediately calming when he saw their smiles and nods of encouragement he was so glad they were here. He took a deep breath, eyes still locked with the two women before focusing on the rest of the room's occupants once again, ready to start his presentation.

"Good morning ladies, gentlemen and classmates. Today I will be telling you about my family." He stated, beaming smile firmly in place. Quinn smirked, bumping her shoulder against her wife, "I wonder who helped him with his speech?" she questioned softly, a playful twinkle in her eye.

Rachel smiled, eyes never leaving her son, "I don't know, but whoever did it must be an amazingly talented human being to have written such a spectacular piece of literature," she murmured quietly. 

The blonde wrapped her arm around the brunette, pulling her tightly into her side, "I know I think she's pretty amazing."

She whispered, kissing the top of the diva's head, "And the little boy who is currently giving that speech happens to be pretty amazing as well." 

Rachel smiled fondly at Judy and Kevin as they took photos of their grandson, "I agree whole heartedly with that statement."

"I suppose for you all to get a true understanding of my family I need to start at the beginning of how we all ended up together," Lucas explained. "You see we didn't become a family like most people do, mama says that it wasn't blood that brought us together but love." He locked eyes with his mothers, "Mommy said it was fated that we would all end up together, that there was a plan written stating that we were made for each other." He paused, a small smile playing on his lips, "I like the idea that we were always meant to be that I was brought into this world just for them, it makes me feel like our love is special " he locked eyes with Rachel, "Unique."

Quinn watched silently as the two shared a moment, her heart breaking slightly at the memory that resulted in the importance of that word. She had almost lost her family due to her desire to live out a fantasy of what life could have been like had she kept Beth, and she thanks god everyday that she realised the error in her ways, soon enough to actually make a change and correct her mistakes.

Rachel turned her attention to the blonde, her smile immediately dimming when she noticed the pained look on the other girl's face, knowing exactly what she was thinking about. She wrapped her arms around the girl's waist, squeezing tightly as she laid her head on her shoulder there was nothing that had to be said, Quinn just needed to be reminded that she was still there that they were still there.

The blonde dropped a kiss to her wife's head, her lips lingering for a moment, "I love you." She murmured against the brunette's head, her arms tightening subtly.

"I know " she whispered, looking up into hazel eyes, "I love you too."

Both women shared a small smile, before returning their focus to their son. 

"I'm told, because I was too young to remember, that I met my mama because of my grandpa Berrys'. They went to live with the angels, resulting in mama coming to live at my home, with lots of other kids." He looked around the room once before looking back at his mothers, "Mama said that we instantly clicked, that there was an immediate connection between us that couldn't be denied. She said she knew right from the very beginning that we were supposed to be together." He looked down at his key cards for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing, his eyes instantly seeking out his safe zone, "My grandpa Berrys' then stepped in once again, leaving my mama in the care of the Fabrays', where I met my mommy, granny and the rest of my family." He turned his focus to Judy, smiling widely, "Granny fought on behalf of our family to keep me because my mommies were too young to do it themselves. She made sure we stayed together, taking care of all of us for a while and I'm very happy about that." He locked eyes with her, "Thank you Granny," he stated, his eyes glistening with the love and gratitude he felt for the woman.

Judy clutched at her chest her eyes shining with unshed tears, "I love you," she mouthed, hoping that he was able to interpret what she was saying.

He gave her a nod of his head before moving onto Kevin, "My grandpa Kevin came into my life because of my grandpa Berrys' as well. Mommy says that my grandpas didn't go to live with the angels by choice and that it was grandpa Kevin's job to find out who made them go there which he did," he explained. He looked at the man, a bashful smile forming on his lips. "He fell in love with my granny and now he's my grandpa and I love him a lot."

Kevin tapped the left side of his chest twice, smiling lovingly at Lucas. 

"I have a lot of extended family too the gleeks," he explained with a beaming smile on his face. "They were all in glee club with my mommies in high school there's a lot of them, but I only really see my Uncle Puck, Uncle Finn, Uncle Sam, Aunty Santana and Aunty Brittany," he added, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "It takes a while for me to be able to trust people and to let them into my life, but mama tells me that Uncle Puck and I instantly clicked he was my Uncle No-No up until a few months ago, but we both decided that it wasn't badass enough anymore, so it's Uncle Puck now." He stated with a solemn nod of his head, "He's in a rock band with my Uncle Finn and Uncle Sam It's really cool. I go and watch them rehearse on Wednesday nights and then to some of their concerts on Saturday nights. Mama just turns my hearing aid off so it's not too loud she says it so I can really enjoy the performance," he explained, Rachel now sporting a lovely red tinge to her cheeks. "They all live together in a bachelor's pad Dude's only." He stated, with a smirk, "They said I can move in with them when I'm older and join the band. Uncle Puck is already teaching me how to play the guitar, he says he's going to teach me how to pick up chicks too although I'm not sure why, mommy let me pick up the chicks at the petting zoo, so I don't really need help with it," he exclaimed, lips pursed and brows furrowed in confusion.

Most parents, Judy and Kevin included, laughed heartily, completely charmed by the little boy's innocence, while Quinn and Rachel stood with proud but embarrassed smiles on their faces.

He stood in contemplative silence for a moment before snapping himself back to reality with a shake of his head, a sheepish smile on his face, "I'm sorry about that," he murmured, nudging his glasses up his nose before clearing his throat to continue. "Mommy tells me that I've always been close to Aunt Brittany, but that Aunt Santana and I only got closer later, when she was ready to let me in. That's not to say it wasn't always there, just that she was only ready to fully embrace it after a few years even now she doesn't mind playing with me and loving me, she just doesn't like me to tell people about it she's a badass like Uncle Noah after all, she has an image to maintain. It's why she spent hours teaching me how to say her name I called her Aunty Santa Anna for the longest time." He looked at his peers and their parents, "Aunt Brittany is just like mama and me we're special unique, and she loves that fact. She says being normal is over rated and boring. Mama says why would you want to blend in and be like everyone else when you can stand out in a crowd." He looked at his mothers, "Although I'm pretty sure Aunty Brittany would be the only one to be seen in a crowd, mama and I are both too short." He stated with a frown before his eyes widened and he jumped up and down on the box in excitement, "But mama would definitely be heard in a crowd." He looked at the floor, toeing the box he was standing on, "she has the voice of an angel." He whispered softly, a blush forming on his cheeks. He looked up, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth, "So I guess I just need to find what makes me stand out other than this." He stated, pointing at his glasses and hearing aid with a self deprecating chuckle. He turned his focus to Quinn, giving her a small half smile, "Maybe the pictures mommy took of me will make me famous when she puts them up in her new gallery."

She nodded her head at the small boy; squeezing Rachel tightly against her she was so proud. He was being such a brave little boy, doing something he was usually so uncomfortable doing and doing it so well.

"My mommies have known each other since middle school, although back then they didn't like each other at all in fact Aunt Santana says they were closer to mortal enemies in the beginning," he explained, Rachel burying her head into the blonde's chest in response. "It was only after my mom got pregnant with my sister Beth that they became friends," he stated, staring up at his mom she had helped him with this part of the presentation and he really didn't want to mess it "My mommy gave Beth to a family that could do better by her and love her like she deserved, but we met her again about two years ago and now we see her a few times a year she's cool, she helps me with my maths homework," he explained, looking at his mothers for confirmation that what he had said was okay. When he received two thumbs up in response he exhaled in relief, diverting his attention to his class before continuing, "It was only after my grandpa Berrys' went to live with the angels and mama moved in with granny and mommy that they fell In love and became my mommies and we've been together ever since."

Rachel tilted her head back, pecking the underside of the blonde's jaw, "We did a good job." She murmured, a single tear running down her cheek she was so glad Judy and Kevin brought their camera. 

Quinn looked down at her wife, placing a chaste kiss to her lips, "Yeah we did."

"They got married recently," He explained. "They wanted to wait until they had finished University and were both settled with jobs before they took that step. It was a small court ceremony because they didn't want to wait any longer, and mama couldn't take time off of her new role in an Off-Broadway play I forget it's name to plan a big wedding. But she promises that as soon as she can get some free time, they're going to have the big wedding they have always dreamed of and that we all deserve."

His teacher looked down at her watch before looking back at the petite boy, who she fondly referred to as baby boy because he was the smallest one in the class, "You need to start finishing up Luke, time is almost up."

His heart rate instantly began to increase at the knowledge that time was running. He immediately felt his palms becoming clammy as he began to sweat profusely it was almost time. He put a finger in his collar, tugging harshly in a desperate attempt to loosen the tie that now felt like it was choking him. He looked up at his parents, needing their calming influence right now, only to find his glasses had misted over as a result of the heat radiating off of him. He took them off with shaking hands, his breath coming out in small pants now as the panic set in, without his glasses he couldn't see his family, he couldn't feel their calming influence or see their supportive and encouraging smiles he couldn't do this without their help, "I can't " he gasped, bending over at the waist in an attempt to get air, one hand firmly grasping his glasses while the other fought to loosen his collar, "I I cant "

It was only seconds until he felt himself being enveloped in a familiar warmth, immediately relaxing into the comfort and security it provided. "Take a deep breath baby," Rachel murmured soothingly, breathing slowly and deeply so that the small boy could mimic the action.

Lucas felt a hand gently massaging the back of his neck as he nuzzled into his mama, a kiss being dropped to his head and instantly knew that his mommy was there to. It took a few moments for him to calm down sufficiently that he felt comfortable enough to remove his head from its hiding place against his mama's neck. He looked around the room at all the sympathetic faces before turning his focus back to his mothers, Rachel wiping all the sweat and tears from his face with her hand, while Quinn slid his now clean glasses back on his face, "Better?" she murmured lovingly, running her hand through his sweat dampened hair.

He nodded his head, a small embarrassed smile on his face, "Do you want to finish?" Rachel questioned, swaying him gently from side to side. Lucas nodded his head, instantly clutching on to both of them before they could even think about leaving him, "Stay with me?" he pleaded softly, fear clearly evident in his eyes.

"Of course baby," Quinn murmured, Rachel nodding her head emphatically in agreement. Lucas sighed in relief, nodding his head in acceptance as the brunette lowered him to the box, stepping back slightly to stand next to the blonde.

Lucas took a deep breath before looking up at his class with a sad smile, "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, he was disappointed in himself, he had been doing so well and then that had to happen he just wanted it to be over now. "The last thing I wanted to say is that I pretty much owe everything to my grandpa Berrys' because without them none of this would have happened I wouldn't have my family. I never got to meet them or get to know them but mama speaks about them all the time and they sound like really great guys. I used to feel really sad when I would think that I would never get to feel the love that my grandpa Berrys' had to offer, but then I realised, with the help of my granny, that my whole life is like this because of my grandpas love for their family" he paused, staring behind him at his moms and then at his grandparents, his lip quirking up into a half smile, "and they must have really loved me to give me all this without even meeting me." He jumped off the block, immediately turning to his mothers and being lifted into Quinn's arms, "Thank you for listening to my presentation, I hope you all have a good day," he stated with a beaming smile so glad it was finally over.

Kisses were rained down onto his head and face by his mothers, his granny joining in after having practically run from the back of the room, Kevin bringing up the rear with a chuckle. "You did such a good job, we are so proud of you baby," Rachel enthused, placing a quick series of pecks to his cheeks.

Lucas blushed, not even bothering to fight the onslaught of kisses, "Even after I messed up?" he asked, his hands gripping onto the blonde's shirt. 

"Of course baby," Quinn exclaimed. "You didn't give up. Even though you panicked and had to stop for a while, you carried on and finished in style and that is a trait to be very proud of," she added, fixing his collar and tie.

Judy attempted to fix his hair, licking her fingers and running them through his hair, much to his dismay, "So proud of you baby grandpa and I took lots of photos, so we'll get to relive your first presentation for years to come."

Kevin put out his fist which Lucas bumped his fist against, "Good job little man," he stated, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a half smile.

Quinn checked her watch and stared at Rachel, who nodded her head, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet, "I think we should get along " the diva exclaimed, the level of nervous energy tripling as the group stared at each other in silent communication this was finally happening.

Judy nodded her head, grabbing Kevin's hand and walking away from the girls and out the room. Quinn wrapped her arm around the brunette, pulling her back into her side, "You guys ready for this?" She asked, chuckling lightly when she received two enthusiastic nods in response. "Okay " she murmured, placing a kiss to both of their heads before moving them in the direction of the door, "Let's go sign those adoption papers."

Judy and Kevin were sitting on the wooden chairs outside the social workers office, the girls and Lucas had gone in about 30 minutes ago to sign the papers and had yet to come out only adding to the old couples anxiety.

"Why do you think it's taking so long?" Judy asked, nervously chewing on her bottom lip, her eyes locked on the door the girls had disappeared through, willing it to open with her mind.

"I don't know " Kevin exhaled, the only sign of his nerves being the uncontrollable bounce of his leg, "but I'm sure it's fine though. I mean adoption in a big thing, it makes sense it would take a while."

The older blonde nodded her head, her hand immediately seeking out her husband's hand and gripping it tightly, needing the support only he could provide her with. "I know you're right. I'm just scared you know I don't want to have to come so far only to have it all fall apart," she explained softly.

"I know " he murmured, putting his arm around her and dropping a kiss to her head, "I know."

The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before the office door opened to reveal two very happy ladies and one beaming little boy. Kevin and Judy immediately stood up from the chairs and met the girls halfway, "So " Judy began, "How did it go?"

Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel from behind, the diva clutching tightly to Lucas, "Well " the blonde mused, an excited smile on her lips, "We'd like to introduce you to Lucas Timothy Berry-Fabray."

Judy squealed, clapping her hands in delight as she practically tackled the family into a hug, Kevin laughing heartily before joining the group hug himself. "I can't believe it " Judy mumbled, "after all this time it's finally happened I am so happy for you guys."

"Granny " a muffled voice sounded from somewhere in the middle of the tangle, "You're squashing me."

The older Fabray chuckled lightly pulling back from the hug and gripping Lucas' cheeks between her hands, "I'm sorry baby," she cooed, placing a gentle kiss to his lips. "Granny is just so happy," she enthused, squeezing his cheeks firmly.

Kevin gently pried his wife's hands from the little boys face, Lucas instantly flexing and stretching his jaw now that his face was free, "It's okay " he murmured, smiling now that feeling had returned to his cheeks, "I'm happy too."

Kevin put his fist out for Lucas to bump once more, "Now that the paperwork is out the way, should we head out to lunch?" he asked, ruffling the small boy's hair with a wink.

Quinn placed a kiss to Rachel's cheek and neck before resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder, swaying them from side to side, "What do you think mama should we head to lunch now?"

Lucas looked at the two women from his spot on the diva's hip, stretching up and patting the blonde's cheek with a smile before turning his focus to Rachel, "Yeah mama do we go to lunch now?"

Rachel nuzzled the side of his head; inhaling deeply he was finally, in the eyes of the law, theirs. No one could take him away from them now. She sighed contently , kissing his temple, "I think lunch sounds like a wonderful idea Britt, San, Noah, Finn and Sam are meeting us at the restaurant and we wouldn't want to keep them waiting especially Santana."

She explained, shuddering at the thought of an angry Latina. Both Quinn and Lucas nodded solemnly with wide eyes, causing Kevin and Judy to burst out laughing sometimes it was hard to believe he wasn't biologically their own. 

"Well we best get going then " Kevin mused with a playful glint in his eye, "Wouldn't want to have to face a scary Latina."

He added wrapping his arm around Judy and guiding her towards the door.

"No " Judy gasped dramatically, "We most definitely wouldn't want that."

Quinn pursed her lips, "I think they're making fun of us," she stated with a nod of her head.

Rachel lowered Lucas to the floor, the small boy instantly taking one of the girl's hands in each of his own as they slowly began to walk towards the door, "They're just lucky we know how she will react and are taking the necessary precautions to prevent it from happening." 

Lucas nodded his head, attempting to skip but tripping over his own feet instead, his grip on his mothers' hands the only thing that prevented him from falling. He smiled sheepishly, a small blush forming on his cheeks, "Thanks " he murmured.

"It's no problem baby," Rachel replied, "We'll always make sure there's someone there to catch you."

Lucas smiled brightly, "Like Grandpas Berry did for you?"

The brunette smiled, eyes shining with tears at the thought of her dads and all that they had done for her, "Yeah " she exhaled slowly, "exactly like that."

"Cool!" Lucas exclaimed, completely oblivious to the effect his statement had on his mother, "Hey mommy do you think we can play with your camera after lunch?"

"We can do whatever you want to do today buddy," Quinn stated, leaning over and placing a soft kiss to her wife's cheek,

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

Rachel turned to her, a content look on her face, "I'm good " she replied, connecting their lips briefly, "Really good."


End file.
